Shown here are two of three wolves genetically edited by scientists to have traits of a dire wolf, a prehistoric animal that went extinct about 12,500 years ago.
A species of wolf that died out some 12,500 years ago lives again as the “world’s first successfully de-extincted animal,” according to Dallas-based biotech company Colossal Biosciences.
Colossal scientists have created three dire wolf pups by using ancient DNA, cloning and gene-editing technology.
The result is essentially a hybrid species similar in appearance to its extinct forerunner.
The dire wolf, Aenocyon dirus, which was the inspiration for the fearsome canine featured in the HBO TV series “Game of Thrones,” was a top predator that once roamed North America.
Dire wolves were larger in size than gray wolves and “had a slightly wider head, light thick fur and stronger jaw,” the company said.
Colossal has been working toward resurrecting the mammoth, dodo and Tasmanian tiger since 2021, but the company had not previously publicized its work on dire wolves.