Colossal Biosciences has claimed to have “brought back” a species that has been extinct for more than 10,000 years.
The Dallas, Texas-based biotechnology and genetic engineering company announced on April 7 in a post on social media that they had brought back the dire wolf — an animal that was made famous by the “Game of Thrones” series. However, that isn’t technically true, as the scientists actually just edited the DNA of grey wolves to give them the same features as a dire wolf using DNA found in two remarkably preserved fossils of dire wolves that date back more than 10,000 years.
Sharing a clip of the two small “dire wolves” barking, Colossal Biosciences wrote: “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,” the post continued. “These two wolves were brought back from extinction using genetic edits derived from a complete dire wolf genome, meticulously reconstructed by Colossal from ancient DNA found in fossils dating back between 11,500 and 72,000 years. This moment marks not only a milestone for us as a company but also a leap forward for science, conservation, and humanity. From the beginning, our goal has been clear: ‘To revolutionize history and be the first company to use CRISPR technology successfully in the de-extinction of previously lost species.’ By achieving this, we continue to push forward our broader mission on—accepting humanity’s duty to restore Earth to a healthier state.”
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
Colossal Biosciences was able to obtain the dire wolf DNA from fossils back in 2021, then edited the DNA of grey wolf embryos and placed them into a surrogate female wolf. Three wolves were born from that act, one female and two males, according to the New York Times.
These “dire wolves” have thicker coats than a grey wolf and the cubs are much bigger than a typical grey wolf cub.
“We’re creating these functional copies of something that used to be alive,” Beth Shapiro, the chief scientific officer of Colossal Biosciences, said regarding the wolf cubs.
