The ‘dire wolves’ that were brought back from extinction, Romulus and Remus, are celebrating their first birthday.
In April 2025, Colossal — a bioscience and genetic engineering company — revealed its magnum opus to the world: three dire wolf pups they claimed to have brought back from extinction.
Dire wolves, best known for their appearance in George R. R. Martin’s Game of Thrones book series and subsequent HBO show, have been extinct for over 12,500 years. They differ significantly from the modern-day wolf due to their large size, wide heads, and powerful jaws, as well as a massive bite force and teeth specially adapted for crushing bones.
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In a marvelous scientific feat, geneticists at Colossal reconstructed their best possible estimate of the dire wolf genome using the surviving DNA from a 13,000-year-old tooth, alongside a 72,000-year-old skull, of healthy dire wolf pups.
Colossal’s dire wolves celebrate first birthday with pup-friendly cake
Using gene-editing technology, these scientists modified the DNA of modern gray wolves to give them the specific traits that are characteristic of dire wolves (large size, wide heads, and bone-crushing jaws).
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So, while it isn’t exactly a Jurassic Park-style resurrection of an ancient animal, Colossal has made a strikingly similar recreation of the dire wolf using the genes of a close relative in the grey wolf.
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The reveal of these three dire wolves resulted in equal parts awe and criticism from onlookers. A year later, two of them are now celebrating their first birthday to great fanfare from Colossal.
The two boys, Romulus and Remus, were aptly named for the mythological twin founders of Rome, whose legend says they were suckled at the teat of a she-wolf after being abandoned as infants. Their little sister, Khaleesi, was named after one of the many titles of the Game of Thrones character Daenerys Targaryen.
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In celebration of their first birthday, Colossal partnered with MISHKA Dog Boutique to create a gourmet cake for the two brothers, made of beef pate, agar-agar and vegetable juices. Yum!
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As per a news release from Colossal, Romulus and Remus both weigh over 120 lbs and currently eat over five lbs of meat a day. Their diet includes a mixture of “ground meat, stew-sized chunks, and portions of carcasses such as deer, cattle, or whole rabbits,” as well as bones to chew on and small game within their enclosure.
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The wolves occupy a 2,000+ acre ecological preserve, which includes a “six-acre secure area houses an on-site veterinary clinic, wolf management facility, storm shelter, and natural dens for closer care and study.” They are cared for by ten full-time employees.
Romulus, Remus, and Khaleesi are just the start of Colossal’s dire wolf project; the company says it intends to create an entire pack of 6-8 dire wolves when all is said and done.
This isn’t the first scientific marvel Colossal has been able to achieve as of late; they went viral in March for using gene-splicing tech to create a mouse with fur from a woolly mammoth.
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