The announcement of the extinct dire wolves returning made by Colossal Biosciences on X (formerly Twitter) has made a major scientific breakthrough. On April 7, 2025, the Texas-based lab announced they had discovered three puppies with dire wolf DNA.
The dire wolves were a canine that went extinct nearly 12,000 years ago and have, however brought back to life by Colossal Biosciences. This genetic engineering company works on de-extinction and conservation. On Monday, they announced on their X handle the arrival of three puppies, named Romulus, Remus, and Khaleesi.
The world's first de-extinct animals, Romulus and Remus, two males, were born on October 1, 2024, and were later joined by Khaleesi, the female, in January 2025.
More about the return of the extinct dire wolves: Romulus, Remus, and Khaleesi
Colossal Biosciences shared a video of Romulus and Remus howling, offering a rare glimpse into what the howl of the dire wolves may have sounded like nearly 12,000 years ago. Here is what they said:
''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.''
Along with the video, they gave a short explanation of the technology they used and the goals they have surrounding de-extinction. As per Colossal Biosciences, these three pups are genetically engineered to carry the characteristics of the dire wolf, scientifically called Aenocyon dirus.
They were made using CRISPR technology, which is a gene-editing technology that allows scientists to modify DNA sequences, and Colossal Biosciences is the first company to achieve it.
They also mentioned that their bigger mission with de-extensions and conservation biology is to help humans take responsibility for helping heal and restore the planet. Since wolves play a great role in maintaining the structure of the ecosystem, genetically engineering and bringing this species back is a part of the lab's bigger goals.
These pups were engineered using fossil remains, which were a 72,000-year-old inner ear bone and a 13,000-year-old tooth. In a press release, Ben Lamm, the CEO and co-founder of the lab, expressed what he felt about the return of the extinct dire wolves. He said:
''I could not be more proud of the team. This massive milestone is the first of many coming examples demonstrating that our end-to-end de-extinction technology stack works.''
He continued:
''Our team took DNA from a 13,000-year-old tooth and a 72,000-year-old skull and made healthy dire wolf puppies. It was once said, ‘any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.’ Today, our team gets to unveil some of the magic they are working on and its broader impact on conservation.''
Colossal Biosciences is also working on the de-extinction of other species, including the dodo bird, the Tasmanian tiger, and the woolly mammoth.
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