Dire Wolf, a species that disappeared 12,500 years ago but became famous by the Game of Thrones series, has come to life, according to Colossal Biosciences, a species that disappeared 12,500 years ago.
The company describes Dire Wolf as “the world’s first successful animal.”
On Monday, the company announced that the research led to the birth of three puppies, Romulus, Remus and Boyce.
However, recently born wolves have DNA, which is very close to the DNA of a gray wolf, leading to criticism of the company’s claims.
Are Romulus, Remus and Kareesi truly miserable wolves? Here’s what we know about them:
What is a miserable wolf?
Dire Wolf, the reality inspiration behind the wolves in HBO’s Game of Thrones, was once the dominant North American predator.
It suggests that the fossils were made for strength rather than speed. They had more muscle and heavier builds than other ancient and modern wolves.
But despite its size, the fossils show that disastrous wolves can still successfully migrate through different environments, Colossal Biosciences said. It can hunt large animals and live with other species. Their powerful bodies made the miserable wolves a strong predator.
These carnivorous animals hunted large ice age animals such as bison, horses, and possibly mammoths.
Due to human hunting, many of their prey species probably disappeared, causing the miserable wolves to be extinct, paving the way for the grey wolves to descend from northern Canada and Alaska to take over their ecological role.
sound. You’ve heard the first how the whale of a miserable wolf in over 10,000 years. We meet Romulus and Remus, the world’s first derailed animals born on October 1, 2024.
The miserable wolves have been extinct for over 10,000 years. These two wolves were brought back from extinction using …pic.twitter.com/wy4rdovfrh
– ColossalBiosciences® (@colossal) April 7, 2025
“Many people see Dire Wolves as a mythical creature that only exists in the fantasy world, but in reality they have a rich history that contributes to the American ecosystem,” says George RR Martin, author of Game of Thrones, a Colossal investor and cultural advisor.
“I get extravagant to write about magic, but (they) created magic by bringing these majestic beasts back into our world.”
How is a miserable wolf different from a more common wolf?
At first glance, the miserable wolves, whose formal scientific name was the dirus of Enossion, appeared to have been heavier built with thicker legs, wider heads and shoulders, a dense frame and a more prominent nose.
They are similar, but the miserable wolves are not closely associated with the grey wolves and are not ancestors. Genetic research reveals that the two species diverged millions of years ago and evolved separately in the United States.
How did scientists bring “back” the miserable wolves?
Scientists extracted and sequenced DNA from two ancient, miserable wolves specimens, including teeth 13,000 years ago and bones in ears from 72,000 years ago. This analysis identified 20 important genetic differences between the miserable wolves and their closest living species, the gray wolves.
Using CRISPR technology, a type of molecular scissors that cleave DNA at specific spots, researchers have edited the genome of grey wolf cell to incorporate these 20 specific genetic variants, including larger sizes, wider heads, and thicker fur. になったんです。 English: The first thing you can do is to find the best one to do.
Genetic material was inserted into egg cells from the dog. Once embryos were developed, they were embedded in surrogate dogs. Sixty-two days later, a genetically engineered puppy was born.
What do you know about Romulus, Remus and Khaleesi?
Both men, Romulus and Remus, were born on October 1, 2024, while the female boyfriend was born on January 30, 2025.
The six-month Romulus and Remus are expected to reach 6 feet (183 cm) and 150 pounds (68 kg) in length, weighing about 80 pounds (36 kg) at maturity. Khaleesi has developed similarly in three months.
Wolves exhibit physical properties such as white coats, larger body sizes and wider heads.
When the first miserable wolf puppy was delivered by the caesarean section, Corosal’s chief animal officer Matt James recalled gently rubbing the newborn between two towels to stimulate initial breathing. “Good Lord, this is huge,” he recalls thinking.
Has the miserable wolf really returned?
Giant biological sciences called these animals “unextended” miserable wolves on Monday, but some experts claim they are genetically modified grey wolves, rather than a true representation of extinct species.
“We call them miserable wolves,” said Ben Lamb, founder and CEO of the Dallas-based startup.
Love Dalen, a professor of evolutionary genomics based at the Paleogenic Centre at Stockholm University and an adviser to Colossal, also argued that this was a more philosophical issue.
“There’s no secret that across the genome, this is 99.9% of the grey wolves. There’s debate in the scientific community about how many genes need to be altered to make a disastrous wolf, but this is a really philosophical question,” Darren said.
“It has the miserable wolf genes, and these genes look like wolves worse than what we’ve seen in the last 13,000 years. It’s very cool,” he added.
Two newly born baby wolves sitting on the iron throne, brought back from extinction by genetic engineering. 🐺
George RR Martin serves as a cultural advisor and investor in a vast bioscience, and Peter Jackson lends Iron Throne props for photography. pic.twitter.com/yax9wjcp7a
– Westerosies (@westerosies) April 7, 2025
Why get it back?
According to Colossal, the project will help push the boundaries of genetic engineering and can provide tools for conserving species that are particularly shrinking. The miserable wolves also served as a well-known case to demonstrate these abilities.
“This project demonstrates great potential for advances in genetic engineering and reproductive technology to replicate lost diversity,” said Andrew Pask, a member of the Colossal Advisory Board.
“This work supports pioneering research that seeks to stabilize ecosystems to prevent ecosystem loss and create new ways to restore actual lost biodiversity,” he added.
We are Colossal Biosciences, a detensive company responsible for retrieving the first animals from extinction. Our miserable wolf puppies, Romulus and Remus, were born on October 1, 2024. Watch these puppies grow up on their YouTube channel. Bio link.
These two wolves were…pic.twitter.com/hbk1wfq3lf
– ColossalBiosciences® (@colossal) April 7, 2025
While some of the conservation world are optimistic, others see the efforts of Colossals and similar companies as a dangerous shift from more urgent conservation priorities. Still, other experts argue that they may not yet understand the full meaning of these changes.
“We can’t protect what we already have,” Dan Ash, president and CEO of the Canadian Zoo Association, said in an interview with the Toronto star.
So far, investors have committed $435 million to the company, increasing its valuation to $10.2 billion.
What’s next?
Colossal may plan to monitor the growth, health and behavior of puppies and pursue further projects involving the disappearance of other species, such as wool mammoths.
The broader goal is to apply technology to real-world preservation.