Dire wolves have been 'resurrected': See how scientists used ancient DNA to create the pups

Yahoo

08-04-2025

A species that hasn't existed since the Earth's last Ice Age has been "resurrected" by scientists.
The dire wolf, which died out around 12,500 years ago, has been "de-extincted," according to Dallas-based biotech company Colossal Biosciences. No one is more excited than George R. R. Martin, author of the "A Song of Ice and Fire" book series which was adapted into HBO's "Game of Thrones." Dire wolves play a prominent role in the story, and Martin wrote in a blog post that the previously extinct animals are special to him.
Three dire wolf pups have been created by Colossal scientists using ancient DNA, along with cloning and gene-editing technology, to alter the genes of a gray wolf, the prehistoric wolf's closest living relative.
Six-month-olds Romulus and Remus, and their two-month-old sister Khaleesi are being raised at an undisclosed U.S. wildlife facility, according to Time Magazine. But while they've been raised by humans from birth, they shy away from human contact thanks to their wild lupine genes.
The "de-extinction" of dire wolves is promising for those who hope to see other extinct species resurrected, as well as keep endangered species from ceasing to exist. For instance, Colossal scientists hope to use what they've learned to help the endangered red "ghost" wolf, which has a very limited gene pool remaining.
"The dire wolf project is surreal and unreal at the same time," said Aurelia Skipwith, Colossal Conservation Advisory Board Member and former director of the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. "It's recreating reality that stemmed from reality, from millennia ago. To think that in this day dire wolves aren't just mythical illusions ... now, we have the science and ingenuity to bring life back to once existing reality. Colossal is drastically changing the prognosis for countless endangered species around the world."
The dire wolf was the largest of the Late Pleistocene canids in North America, and their skulls could reach up to 12 inches long, with larger and more robust teeth than today's gray wolves, according to the National Park Service. An average dire wolf had a shoulder height of 38 inches and body length of 69 inches.
Colossal's dire wolf pups are expected to be up to 6 feet long and 150 pounds in adulthood, Time reported.
Dire wolf fossils have been found across North and South America, as far north as Alaska and as far south as Venezuela, Peru and Bolivia, according to the park service.
Colossal scientists made 20 edits in 14 of the common gray wolf genes, which made for differences like the pups white coat, larger size, stronger shoulders, wider head, larger teeth and jaws, more-muscular legs and characteristic vocalizations.
The ancient DNA used to determine what changes to make came from a 13,000-year-old tooth from Sheridan Pit, Ohio and a 72,000-year-old ear bone from American Falls, Idaho. Both were loaned to Colossal by the museums that house them.
Once the embryos were created, three domestic dogs were used as surrogate mothers for each of the pups. Each was born by planned cesarean section.
While Oklahoma statutes don't directly address the ownership of wolves, Oklahoma Title 29, §4-107 does outline the process for which one can possess wildlife for "commercial purposes."
In Oklahoma, no one can possess or raise wildlife for commercial purposes without obtaining a permit. According to Born Free USA, an animal advocacy and wildlife nonprofit, anyone owning these animals as "pets" must also obtain this permit, whether the animal is for commercial purposes or not.
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Dire wolves resurrected: Can you own wolves in Oklahoma?