The dire wolf, a species that went extinct some 12,500 years ago but was made famous by the Game of Thrones series, has been brought back to life, according to Texas-based biotech firm Colossal Biosciences.
The company has described the dire wolf as the “world’s first successfully de-extinct animal”.
On Monday, the company announced that its research had led to the birth of three pups — Romulus, Remus and Khaleesi.
But the recently born wolves have DNA which is very close to that of the grey wolf, leading to criticism of the company’s claims.
So are Romulus, Remus and Khaleesi truly dire wolves? Here is what we know about them:
What is a dire wolf?
The dire wolf, the real-life inspiration behind the wolves in HBO’s Game of Thrones, was once a dominant predator across North America.
Fossils suggest that dire wolves were built for strength, not speed. They had more muscle and a heavier build than other ancient or modern wolves.
But despite their size, fossils show that the dire wolf could still move well through different environments, Colossal Biosciences said. It could hunt big animals and live alongside other species. Their powerful bodies made dire wolves strong predators.
These carnivores hunted large Ice Age animals like bison, horses and possibly mammoths.
As many of their prey species disappeared, likely in part due to human hunting, dire wolves may have been driven to extinction, paving the way for the grey wolf to move down from northern Canada and Alaska to take over its ecological role.
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.
The dire wolf has been extinct for over 10,000 years. These two wolves were brought back from extinction using… pic.twitter.com/wY4rdOVFRH
— Colossal Biosciences® (@colossal) April 7, 2025
“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,” said Game of Thrones author George RR Martin, who is also an investor and cultural adviser to Colossal.
“I get the luxury to write about magic, but [they] have created magic by bringing these majestic beasts back to our world.”
