AFTER 10,000 YEARS, THE DIRE WOLF IS BACK FROM EXTINCTION!!! 

Can you believe this? The world’s first DE-EXTINCT SPECIES, The dire wolf — the real one — is back from extinction!! AFTER 10, 000 YEARS!

Three pups, Romulus, Remus, and Khaleesi, were born in late 2024 and early 2025. They may look like oversized huskies at first glance, but these are not Grey wolves with a new haircut. They are true dire wolves, brought back through ancient DNA and incredibly precise genetic work.

It started with two fossils — a 13, 000 year old tooth and a 72, 000 year old inner ear bone. Scientists at Colossal Biosciences used those remains to rebuild the dire wolf genome and compare it to that of modern wolves. For decades, dire wolves were believed to be distant cousins of Grey wolves, maybe even closer to jackals. But new research has changed that. They are now understood to be more closely related to Grey wolves than anyone realized — though still genetically distinct in some very important ways.

In fact, while dire wolves share 99.5 percent of their DNA with Grey wolves, that remaining half percent includes genes that are completely different — not just variations, but entire sequences that do not exist in Grey wolves at all. That difference shapes everything from body size and coat thickness to skull structure and behaviour.

Colossal scientists made 20 targeted edits across 14 genes. Fifteen of those edits are an exact match to DNA found in dire wolf fossils. The other five were selected based on what we know from fossil records and genomic analysis to recreate traits that defined the species — traits that have not existed on Earth in more than 12, 500 years.

The result is not a clone or a mix. It is a real, living dire wolf.

And the pups are already proving it. With powerful builds, golden eyes, and thick snow white coats, they carry the presence of something ancient. And yes — they have already howled. A sound the world has not heard in over 12, 000 years.

But this is not just about the past. As part of the same project, Colossal also cloned four red wolves — one of the most endangered mammals in North America, with fewer than 20 left in the wild. Using a new method that only requires a simple blood draw, they are helping give the species a real shot at survival. That technology is already being shared with conservation teams across the country.

So yes, the dire wolf is back. But more importantly, this work could help us protect what we still have. Click the link below to learn more about this history changing moment!