Dire wolves, the ancient predators made famous in the mythical “Game of Thrones” universe, have been somewhat resurrected by a pioneering genetic editing company.
Colossal Biosciences announced the world’s first “de-extinction” on Monday, revealing it had created three “dire wolves” by editing modern gray wolf DNA with DNA from the extinct wolves.
“It was once said, ‘any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic,’” Colossal CEO Ben Lamm said in a press release. “Today, our team gets to unveil some of the magic they are working on and its broader impact on conservation.”
Scientists believe dire wolves went extinct about 10,000 years ago. The massive wolves, up to 25% bigger than modern wolves, were once feared predators who ranged throughout North America, but they died out as their giant prey — horses, bison and mammoths — also vanished.
Colossal has announced plans to re-create a number of extinct animals, most prominently the humongous woolly mammoth. But the company’s first apparent success was the dire wolf.
Scientists made 15 exact genetic edits to the gray wolf genome in order to create the new wolves that look like dire wolves. They are larger, with white coats, thick tails and a bushy mane around their necks.
The three wolves — two adolescent males named Romulus and Remus and a female pup named Khaleesi — will live their entire lives on a 2,000-acre preserve at an undisclosed location in the northern United States, according to Colossal.
Whether the three scientifically created dire wolves “count” as true dire wolves is a matter of debate among scientists, who noted they will not live similar lives to their ancient predecessors.
“It could be 20, or it could be 2,000” genetic differences between modern gray wolves and ancient dire wolves, Dr. Adam Boyko, a geneticist at Cornell, told the New York Times. Colossal focused on creating easily observable traits, such as fur color and a preference for isolation.
“Many people view dire wolves as mythical creatures that only exist in a fantasy world, but in reality, they have a rich history of contributing to the American ecosystem,” Colossal investor and “Game of Thrones” author George R.R. Martin said. “Colossal have created magic by bringing these majestic beasts back to our world.”