The Dire wolf
The dire wolf project highlights the fundamental flaws of “de-extinction”. Colossal’s genetically engineered grey wolves are not dire wolves, and the ecological niche of the dire wolf no longer exists. The company’s approach does not contribute to species conservation – and may even threaten existing grey wolf populations.
The dire wolf: A long-extinct predator
The dire wolf (Aenocyon dirus) is an extinct species of large, carnivorous mammal that lived roughly 125,000 to 9,500 years ago, preying on megafauna such as ground sloths, camels, and ancient bison. It went extinct likely due to a combination of factors, including megafauna extinctions, climate-driven habitat changes, as well as hunting and competition from increasingly numerous humans.
Can genetic engineering resurrect the species?
In April 2025, Texas-based biotech company Colossal Biosciences announced the birth of three grey wolf (Canis lupus) pups genetically engineered to resemble the extinct dire wolf.1 The animals are currently housed in a fenced 2,000-acre preserve. Later, Colossal wants to “restore” the species in larger preserves – potentially on Indigenous land.2
The IUCN SSC Canid Specialist Group stated: “The three animals produced by Colossal are not dire wolves. Nor are they proxies of the dire wolf based on IUCN SSC guiding principles of extinct species for conservation benefit.”3
The Group added: “Creating three grey wolf pups with edited genomes in an attempt to resemble the extinct dire wolf may demonstrate technical capabilities, but it does not contribute to conservation.” It warned that “phenotypic proxies of the dire wolf” may effectively “threaten the conservation status of extant species, like the grey wolf”.3
How did Colossal create the “dire wolf” pups?
Colossal scientists began by extracting ancient DNA from dire wolf fossils – a 13,000-year-old tooth and a 72,000-year-old ear bone. Genome analysis revealed the dire wolf shares 99.5% of its DNA with the grey wolf.4 Using CRISPR-based gene editing technology, they modified several grey wolf genes to introduce dire wolf traits such as greater size, white coat and larger teeth.5 Colossal has not published any study detailing the specific modifications.
The modified nuclei were then inserted into grey wolf eggs and developed into embryos. Forty-five were implanted into two domestic dog surrogates, resulting in two pups. A subsequent round with a third domestic dog produced a third pup.
The business behind “de-extinction”
Since its launch in September 2021, Colossal has raised $435 million and is valued at $10.2 billion.6 The dire wolf project is part of Colossal’s broader de-extinction portfolio: editing Asian elephants to mimic woolly mammoths,7 fat-tailed dunnarts to resemble Tasmanian tigers (thylacines),8 and Nicobar pigeons to recreate dodos.9
Rather than profiting from de-extinct animals, Colossal uses the buzz around “de-extinction” to drive innovations that fuel spin-offs. Its first, Form Bio,10 develops AI tools for computational biology and already generates recurring revenue. Another, Breaking,11 uses synthetic biology to break down plastic. More are in the pipeline, including one focused on artificial wombs with potential applications in human fertility.12 Colossal also plans to monetise its core genetic and embryology technologies through licensing, conservation contracts, biodiversity credits, and ecotourism.12,13
Legal and ethical concerns
Colossal’s dire wolf proxies will almost certainly remain in permanent captivity, raising unresolved questions about their long-term governance, welfare, and purpose. Existing wildlife management frameworks offer no guidance on containment standards, monitoring protocols, or liability for genetically engineered predators. Key issues remain unaddressed: What qualifies as secure containment for animals with natural dispersal instincts? Who is responsible if they escape?
If containment fails, these modified wolves could interbreed with wild populations. For grey wolves – already threatened in parts of North America14 – such genetic contamination could undermine ongoing conservation efforts.
Creating three grey wolf pups with edited genomes … may demonstrate technical capabilities, but it does not contribute to conservation.
Animal welfare oversight is equally lacking. No standards exist for housing genetically modified predators long-term or for meeting their behavioural and psychological needs in captivity. These regulatory gaps place engineered wildlife in legal and ethical limbo, with no clear oversight and undefined endpoints for their lives.
Wolves need protection, not publicity stunts
Grey wolves face weakening protections in Europe, where their legal status has been downgraded from “strictly protected” to merely “protected,” making culls easier.15 Creating faux ‘dire wolves’ as a media spectacle to attract biotech investment undermines the first principles of conservation, replacing care for living species with a preference for spectacle.
Proven conservation strategies already protect wolves. The reintroduction of the grey wolf to Yellowstone National Park showed how restoring top predators can rebalance ecosystems.16 In Europe, meanwhile, conservation measures – not formal reintroduction programmes – enabled wolf populations to recover in recent years, though not without controversy.17
Sources
- Colossal Biosciences press release (2025). https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20250407444322/en/Colossal-Announces-Worlds-First-De-Extinction-Birth-of-Dire-Wolves [↩]
- Noobpreneur online magazine (2025). Inside the 2,000-Acre Sanctuary Housing Earth’s First De-Extinct Predators. https://www.noobpreneur.com/2025/04/24/inside-the-2000-acre-sanctuary-housing-earths-first-de-extinct-predators/#Future_Expansion_Plans [↩]
- IUCN Species Survival Commission Canid Specialist Group (2025). Conservation perspectives on gene editing in wild canids. https://www.canids.org/resources/CSG%20gene%20editing%20in%20wild%20canids.pdf [↩] [↩]
- Le Page M (2025). No, the dire wolf has not been brought back from extinction. New Scientist. https://www.newscientist.com/article/2475407-no-the-dire-wolf-has-not-been-brought-back-from-extinction [↩]
- Kluger J (2025). The Science Behind the Return of the Dire Wolf. Time. https://time.com/7275439/science-behind-dire-wolf-return [↩]
- Colossal Biosciences news release (2025). https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20250115365884/en/Colossal-Secures-%24200M-in-Series-C-Funding-From-TWG-Global-on-the-Back-of-Numerous-Worlds-First-Scientific-Breakthroughs-on-Path-to-De-Extinction [↩]
- Colossal Laboratories and Biosciences website (2025). The Mammoth. https://colossal.com/mammoth [↩]
- Colossal Laboratories and Biosciences website (2025). Thylacine. https://colossal.com/thylacine [↩]
- Colossal Laboratories and Biosciences website (2025). The Dodo. https://colossal.com/dodo [↩]
- Form Bio website. https://www.formbio.com/ [↩]
- Breaking website. https://www.breaking.com/ [↩]
- Temkin M (2025). Colossal Biosciences raises $200M at $10.2B valuation to bring back woolly mammoths. Tech Crunch. https://techcrunch.com/2025/01/15/colossal-biosciences-raises-200m-at-10-2b-valuation-to-bring-back-woolly-mammoths [↩] [↩]
- Kanetkatr R (2025). A startup plans to make money from reviving the woolly mammoth. Here’s how. Business Insider.https://www.businessinsider.com/colossal-biosciences-de-extinction-technology-woolly-mammoth-mouse-2025-3 [↩]
- US Fish & Wildlife Service website. https://www.fws.gov/initiative/protecting-wildlife/gray-wolf-recovery-news-and-updates [↩]
- Catwer L (2025). EU Parliament approves law to let farmers shoot more wolves. Politico. https://www.politico.eu/article/european-lawmakers-vote-to-loosen-wolf-protections [↩]
- Smith DW et al (2020). Wolf Restoration in Yellowstone: Reintroduction to Recovery National Park Service website. https://www.nps.gov/articles/wolf-restoration-in-yellowstone-reintroduction-to-recovery.htm [↩]
- Di Bernadi C et al (2025). Continuing recovery of wolves in Europe. Sustainability and Transformation. https://journals.plos.org/sustainabilitytransformation/article?id=10.1371/journal.pstr.0000158 [↩]