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September 22, 2008

Dire wolf in Marlow

Skull Replica presented to lions

Derrick Miller

MARLOW — MARLOW — History has played a significant role in shaping the present and future of Marlow.

Every Marlow student knows the story of the Marlow Brothers. While the brothers may have made the biggest impact on the town, there are lesser-known legends that have also marked a spot in Marlow’s memory books.

One, for instance, was fairly sizable with sharp teeth and a bad temper.

During the Wednesday’s Marlow Lions Club meeting, Richard Cifelli of the University of Oklahoma Zoology Department and the Sam Noble Oklahoma Museum of Natural History presented the replica of a dire wolf skull to members present. This replica is a likeness of a dire wolf skull discovered in Marlow.

The known history of the wolf’s skull and skeleton dates back to 1920 when Marlow was building a new high school.

During the process, the skeleton, curled up as if asleep, was found in the wolf’s den. The animal, a member of a species that would have gone extinct 8,000 to 10,000 years prior, died at a mature age in its den.

“This is probably the best specimen ever found,” Cifelli said. “It’s an unusual specimen.”

Several things set the discovery apart from other dire wolf remains. The skeleton was well preserved and is one of only two found in Oklahoma. The skull and jaws are also larger than other dire wolf skeletons found.

The dire wolf is similar to the better known gray wolf. But there are several significant differences. The dire wolf has a bigger skull, larger jaws, shorter legs, a broader torso and is thought to have been a scavenger.

Cifelli described the wolf as being “nastier than a timber wolf” but being about the same size. Dire wolves fall into the category of Pleistocene fossils, which are rarely found, he said.

He has been working with Marlow since about 1998. He was called when the Outlaw Cave, hideout of the Marlow Brothers, was discovered. It is because of this rapport that he was glad he got to present the skull replica to be put on display in the Marlow Museum.

“I’m honored,” he said. “It was a great pleasure.

“This has been a great springboard to meet people.”

After the discovery in 1920, the original skeleton was taken by Harry Higgins Lane, a zoologist, to the Smithsonian in Washington D.C. It was stored in back with many other specimens the museum didn’t have room for on the show floor.

It wasn’t until the late 1990s that Cifelli heard about Marlow’s dire wolf.

Since then, he has studied the skeleton, while someone else made the replica of the skull for the town. The original is now on display in the Smithsonian, Cifelli said.

He said Marlow’s dire wolf is just one of many creatures and histories waiting to be discovered.

“There’s lots of treasures to be found,” he said. “Hopefully, this is just the beginning of our work together, not the end.”

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