Additional Coverage:
Dallas-based biotech firm Colossal Biosciences has announced the birth of three dire wolf pups, marking a milestone in the company’s “de-extinction” efforts. Previously known for their work on the woolly mammoth and Tasmanian tiger, Colossal scientists used DNA recovered from a 13,000-year-old tooth and a 72,000-year-old skull to bring back the dire wolf, a predator that roamed North America before going extinct approximately 13,000 years ago.
Dire wolves, larger than their modern gray wolf counterparts with wider heads, larger snouts, jaws, and teeth, have captured the public imagination through pop culture, notably their prominent role in the “Game of Thrones” series as the sigil of House Stark. While depicted as mythical creatures in the series, dire wolves roamed North America thousands of years ago.
The birth of these three pups represents the first successful de-extinction project for Colossal Biosciences. More information about the process utilized by the company is available, as are photos of the pups provided by Colossal Biosciences.