After more than 12,000 years, the mighty dire wolves are back. Thanks to a company called Colossal Biosciences, three special pups have been born that carry the powerful traits of the legendary Ice Age predator. The male pups, Romulus and Remus, were born on October 1, 2024, and their sister, Khaleesi, arrived in January 2025.
What Are Dire Wolves?
Dire wolves once ruled North America during the Ice Age. They were larger and stronger than today’s grey wolves, with heavy jaws, thick fur, and big heads. They hunted massive animals like mammoths and bison but went extinct about 12,500 years ago.
Real Science, Not Fantasy
Although dire wolves are famous from shows like Game of Thrones, this isn’t fiction. It’s real science. Colossal’s scientists used ancient bones—one a 13,000-year-old tooth and another a 72,000-year-old ear bone—to rebuild the dire wolf’s DNA. They used this DNA to carefully edit the genes of grey wolf cells using a tool called CRISPR.
They changed 14 genes at 20 spots to give the wolves the shape, strength, and color of the original dire wolves.
Ben Lamm, the CEO of Colossal, explained: “We used ancient DNA to make real, healthy dire wolf puppies.”
Not Clones, But Close
These animals are not exact clones of dire wolves. They’re hybrids—modern wolves with ancient DNA changes that make them look and act like dire wolves.
For example, dire wolves had pale fur, but the gene responsible also caused blindness and deafness. So, Colossal used a safer modern gene to get the same fur color without health issues.
According to experts like Professor Love Dalén, these animals are still mostly grey wolf, but with important dire wolf features—making them the closest thing we’ve had in over 13,000 years.
Watch This video: https://x.com/colossal/status/1909247817672957959
Where Do They Live?
The pups now live in Zone Alpha, a secret, 2,000-acre high-security nature preserve in the northern U.S. It has tall fences, drones, full-time staff, and even a hospital for the animals.
The wolves eat a mix of beef, deer, and horse meat, along with dry food. Later, they’ll be fed whole prey like they would eat in the wild.
Why Bring Back Extinct Animals?
Colossal has raised over $435 million to bring back other extinct animals too, like the woolly mammoth, dodo, and Tasmanian tiger. They’ve also helped the red wolf—one of North America’s most endangered wolves—using the same technology.
The goal is to help with conservation and scientific research, using this new “de-extinction technology.”
What Do Experts Say?
Some scientists are excited, others are cautious. One biologist, Vincent Lynch, says that while these animals may look like dire wolves, they’re not exactly the same. Another expert, Christopher Preston, asks what role these new wolves will play in the environment—but he praised Colossal for taking animal health seriously.
Public Reaction: From Memes to Magic
People online are loving the news. Fans have shared memes, artwork, and even celebrity reactions. Elon Musk joked about putting the wolves on the Iron Throne. Game of Thrones writer George R.R. Martin said: “I get to write about magic, but Colossal is actually making it real.”
What’s Next?
Colossal says this is just the beginning. They hope to change how the world sees extinction. As they put it: “Close your eyes and listen to that howl again. Think about what it means.”
Whether it’s a new chapter in science or something we should be careful about, one thing is clear—the past is coming back. And it’s howling.
