Photo taken at WSU. On display is a Dire Wolf skull. I have always found it facinating that there is a common misconception that Dire Wolves were somehow giants.

The Canis dirus is believed to be 8% shorter than modern Grey Wolves (Canis lupus). However the dire wolf has a larger skull and more robust bones suggesting that it was a stockier built creature. Interestingly, despite the larger overall skull size, the brain case of of the C. Lupus is actually larger.