On Monday, a company called Colossal Biosciences shared some amazing news. Their scientists have brought back the dire wolf, an animal that disappeared over 10,000 years ago during the Ice Age. This is a huge deal because no one has seen a real dire wolf in a very long time—until now!
The company, based in Dallas, Texas, announced that three dire wolf puppies were born. There are two boys named Romulus and Remus, and one girl named Khaleesi. These names might sound familiar if you’ve watched the TV show Game of Thrones, where dire wolves were famous!
How Did They Do It?
You might be wondering how scientists brought back an animal that’s been gone for thousands of years. Here’s the simple answer: they used super-smart science! They started by looking at old dire wolf DNA, which they found in fossils—like bones and teeth from long ago.
Meet Romulus and Remus—the first animals ever resurrected from extinction. The dire wolf, lost to history over 10,000 years ago, has returned. Reborn on October 1, 2024, these remarkable pups were brought back to life using ancient DNA extracted from fossilized remains.
Watch… pic.twitter.com/XwPz0DFoP5
— Colossal Biosciences® (@colossal) April 7, 2025
Then, they took cells from a gray wolf, an animal that’s alive today and very similar to the dire wolf. They changed the gray wolf’s DNA a little bit to make it more like a dire wolf’s DNA. After that, they put these special cells into animals that could carry the babies, kind of like how a mom carries a baby. Soon, the three dire wolf pups were born!
“They’re not exactly the same as the dire wolves from thousands of years ago, but they’re really close,” said Beth Shapiro, the top scientist at Colossal. She explained that gray wolves and dire wolves are almost the same, so they just made some small changes to bring back dire wolf features.
A Big Step for Science
These puppies are a huge win for science. They show that people can use technology to bring back animals that disappeared. “I’m so proud of our team,” said Ben Lamm, the boss of Colossal. “We used DNA from a 13,000-year-old tooth and a 72,000-year-old skull to make these healthy pups. It’s like magic, but it’s real science!”
The three little wolves are living in a big, safe place called an ecological preserve. It’s 2,000 acres, which is a lot of space to run and play! The American Humane Society says it’s a good home for them, and the government knows about it too. But the exact spot is a secret, so the wolves can stay safe.
This is just the beginning for Colossal Biosciences. They’re showing the world that science can do incredible things—like bringing back animals we thought were gone forever!
SOUND ON. You’re hearing the first howl of a dire wolf in over 10,000 years. Meet Romulus and Remus—the world’s first de-extinct animals, born on October 1, 2024.
The dire wolf has been extinct for over 10,000 years. These two wolves were brought back from extinction using… pic.twitter.com/wY4rdOVFRH
— Colossal Biosciences® (@colossal) April 7, 2025
