The Dire wolf is now extinct.  It became extinct about 4,000 to 7,000 years ago because it couldn't compete with the Grey wolf.  The Dire wolf is the largest known canid found.   Dire wolf has a heavy body and short legs.  This suggests it was a scavenger rather than a predator, however, it would hunt if given the chance.  Because it is a scavenger, it had a smaller brain case (scavengers didn't have to outsmart their prey) which gave more room for larger and stronger teeth.  We think the Dire wolf died out partly because they would get stuck in tar pits.  When it rained, the tar pits would get covered in water, and when an animal came to get a drink, they'd get stuck.  The Dire wolf would see the animals stuck in the tar pits and he would go after them and get stuck himself.