The dire wolf (Canis dirus, "fearsome dog") is an extinct species of the genus Canis. It is perhaps one of the most famous prehistoric carnivores in North America along with its extinct competitor Smilodon, the "sabre-toothed cat". Canis dirus lived in the Americas during the Late Pleistocene epoch (125,000–10,000 years ago). The species was named in 1858 but the first specimen had been found in 1854 in Ohio, USA.