‘World’s first de-extincted animal’, Dire wolf brought back after over 10,000 years, similarity with modern wolves will shock you, know how
An animal species has been resurrected to life after almost 12,500 years. A wolf species has become the “world’s first successfully de-extincted animal,” after Dallas-based biotechnology startup Colossal Biosciences made the announcement. The company is known as the “de-extinction” company which made the birth of Romulus, Remus and a third dire wolf, a female named Khaleesi public. However, some scientists have raised objections after finding genetic similarity to modern gray wolves.
‘World’s first de-extincted animal’, Dire wolf brought back after over 10,000 years, similarity with modern wolves will shock you, know how
An animal species has been resurrected to life after almost 12,500 years. A wolf species has become the “world’s first successfully de-extincted animal,” after Dallas-based biotechnology startup Colossal Biosciences made the announcement. The company is known as the “de-extinction” company which made the birth of Romulus, Remus and a third dire wolf, a female named Khaleesi public. However, some scientists have raised objections after finding genetic similarity to modern gray wolves.
Who are dire wolves?
This species of wolves, Aenocyon dirus, lived on Earth during the Pleistocene, roughly around 11,700 and 2.6 million years ago. Paleontologists have found their remains in North and South America. Dire wolves have larger size with bigger teeth than the gray wolves, a species closest to the extinct one. These grabbed attention after the popular HBO series Game of Thrones showed similar giant animals as pets of Stark children. According to the company, the dire wolf “had a slightly wider head, light thick fur and stronger jaw.”
The company shared the first howl of these little dire wolves. “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,” wrote Colossal Biosciences on their X handle.
How dire wolf brought back from extinction?
Explaining the process of de-extinction, the company on its X handle wrote, “The dire wolf has been extinct for over 10,000 years. These two wolves were brought back from extinction using genetic edits derived from a complete dire wolf genome, meticulously reconstructed by Colossal from ancient DNA found in fossils dating back 11,500 and 72,000 years. This moment marks not only a milestone for us as a company but also a leap forward for science, conservation, and humanity. From the beginning, our goal has been clear: “To revolutionize history and be the first company to use CRISPR technology successfully in the de-extinction of previously lost species.”
Collosal Biosciences looked for whether genomes of dire wolf maybe similar to related species like jackals, wolves, foxes to identify specific genetic traits of dire wolves, like longer and thick fur and white coats. They found out that 99.5% DNA in Dire wolves and gray wolves is same.
