De-Extinction of Dire Wolves

Spencer Thomson 

May 2, 2025

On October 1, 2024, the biotechnology company Colossal claimed to have brought back the Dire Wolf, an extinct species of canine that disappeared over 10,000 years ago. The wolf pups were revealed to Time Magazine on March 24, 2025, and published the accomplishment on April 7. However, the accomplishment has caused a lot of controversy about the ethics of de-extinction and what the company Colossal is really doing by attempting to bring back species. 

The Dire Wolf is an extinct species of canine native to North America. The species went extinct around 10,000 years ago due to a decrease in prey populations, which was caused during a climate change event at the end of the Ice Age. While not true wolves, they are still canines and closely resemble modern day wolves. The species was popularized by the drama series Game of Thrones, where all the Stark children received Dire Wolf cubs as a gift. The popularity of the species is part of the reason Colossal attempted to bring the species back. 

The process by which Colossal made Dire Wolves does not actually de-extinct the wolves. Colossal scientists isolated segments of Gray Wolf DNA and edited the genetic sequence to match the sequence of the Dire Wolf DNA. No actual Dire Wolf DNA was used in this process, only edited Gray Wolf DNA. The new DNA was inserted into a denucleated ovum (egg with no nucleus, so no DNA), and was then inserted into a surrogate mother hound breed. They successfully birthed two brother wolves, Romulus and Remus, named after the founders of Rome raised by wolves, and a sister named Khaleesi, named after Daenerys Targaryen from Game of Thrones. So far, the wolves are growing quickly and appear healthy, which is a miraculous achievement, since most cloned animals have severe health problems and usually die at an early age. These are not the first animals created by Colossal. Recently, Colossal created Woolly Mice, combining DNA from a Woolly Mammoth and a common mouse. The result was a success, and was actually extremely adorable, generating lots of publicity and support for Colossal. 

While creating new animals is a scientific achievement, there are many who oppose the idea in general. If these new animals are to be released into the wild, there is lots of evidence to suggest that these animals will become invasive. For the wolves, their biological niche (the role or position that an organism has in an ecosystem) has been filled after thousands of years of absence, meaning there is no room for them in today’s world. They would have to compete with native animals, either pushing them to extinction or going extinct themselves again. Another issue is ethics regarding cloning. The process is usually invasive and dangerous for the animals and the surrogates that carry them. To successfully clone an animal, there are usually many attempted births that fail or later lead to health issues, such as organ defects, large birth size, premature aging, and immune system problems, that are usually fatal to the clones. 

Colossal has its sights set on bringing back many other extinct species. Their main goal right now is to bring back the Woolly Mammoth. While an intriguing idea, there is very little reason to do so. Many people believe that no animals should ever be brought back from extinction, unless the species went extinct due to human activity. Species such as the Thylacine (Tasmanian Tiger) and the Dodo Bird are also in consideration for de-extinction. De-extinction and cloning is also being considered to help protect animals that are currently endangered. While cloning would increase a species’s population, the genetic diversity within the population would drop and the species would become very susceptible to environmental pressures and diseases. 

There is no question about it: attempting to bring back an extinct species is a huge undertaking. Colossal came close with their attempted Dire Wolves. But currently, there are far too many reasons not to clone or de-extinct animals. And if you are unsure whether or not bringing back extinct species is a good idea, just remember how Jurassic World ended…