Dallas-based biotech firm Colossal Biosciences has announced the successful de-extinction of the dire wolf, a prehistoric predator that vanished some 12,500 years ago.
The company revealed that three genetically engineered dire wolf pups have been born using advanced cloning and gene-editing techniques, marking the first time an extinct species has been revived.
Dire Wolves Return After 12,500 Years
Once a dominant predator across North America, the dire wolf (Aenocyon dirus) has returned—albeit in a hybrid form. By extracting ancient DNA from 13,000-year-old and 72,000-year-old fossils and merging it with that of modern gray wolves, scientists have created animals that look and behave like their long-extinct ancestors, according to TIME.
These pups, born in late 2024 and early 2025, now live in a 2,000-acre wildlife sanctuary, monitored with top-tier security and approved by the American Humane Society and the USDA.
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DNA Cloning and CRISPR Technology Drive the Breakthrough
Colossal scientists used CRISPR gene-editing to manipulate gray wolf cells, targeting 14 genes with 20 precise edits. This process recreated traits unique to dire wolves, such as thicker white fur, a broader skull, and stronger jaws.
The modified cells were cloned and implanted into domestic dog surrogates, resulting in three healthy dire wolf pups.
For Ben Lamm, Colossal's cofounder and CEO, turning an ancient DNA into living animals was game-changing. He also mentioned that this was show their de-extinction platform works.
A Philosophical Debate: Is It Really a Dire Wolf?
Although the new wolves are 99.9% genetically gray wolves, their physical traits reflect dire wolves' known characteristics. According to Love Dalén, a genomics expert from Stockholm University and adviser to Colossal, this achievement is "a huge leap" for the field.
"It carries dire wolf genes, and these genes make it look more like a dire wolf than anything we've seen in the last 13,000 years. And that is very cool," Dalén explained.
From Dire Wolves to Mammoths: What's Next?
Colossal is not stopping here. The company, which has raised $435 million, is also working to resurrect the woolly mammoth, Tasmanian tiger, and dodo.
While those efforts are ongoing, Colossal has already used techniques developed in the dire wolf project to clone litters of endangered red wolves.
However, ethical and ecological concerns persist. Critics argue that funding de-extinction diverts resources from protecting endangered species. Others question the role of engineered animals in modern ecosystems.
Christopher Preston, an environmental philosopher, noted that it's hard to imagine extinct creatures living in the wild. He wondered what role will they play if they can't be reintroduced.
