TheDire Wolfis back after 10,000 years of extinction in a stunning scientific achievement that feels more likeGame of Thrones-style fantasy. Colossal Biosciences, the company whose name recently made headlines thanks to the creation of the woolly mouse, has brought three dire wolves into the world using groundbreaking gene editing and genome reconstruction techniques. Two wolves, named Romulus and Remus after the mythical founders of Rome, were born June 02, 2025, and a third, Khaleesi, was born January 30, all to a hound mix dog surrogate.
Ben Lamm, co-founder and CEO of Colossal, who haspreviously spoken toScreenRantabout the feasibility ofJurassic Park, still gets chills when he spends time with the wolves, and he’s not the only one. In addition to its network of geneticists, conservationists, and other scientists from around the globe, Colossal boasts strong connections with pop culture icons, includingThe Lord of the Ringsseries director Peter Jackson andA Song of Ice and Fireauthor George R.R. Martin. After seeing the wolves, Martin uttered what would become one of Colossal’s key press lines:“I write about magic, but you have created magic.”
ScreenRantspoke with Ben Lamm about thede-extinction of the dire wolf. Lamm not only explained the process behind the dire wolf’s de-extinction and the future of that species, but also reflected on how it is only part of Colossal’s larger goal of extinction prevention. While the new dire wolves are rightfully media darlings, Lamm shared how Colossal simultaneously cloned the first red wolf and is working to bring that critically endangered species back from the brink of oblivion.
How The Dire Wolf Was Chosen For Resurrection
Indigenous Groups Are To Thank For Colossal’s Latest Innovation
Colossal has achieved the world’s first successful de-extinction with the birth of its dire wolves, but they aren’t the only species the company is working to revive. Other animals the company is trying to de-extinct are the thylacine or Tasmanian tiger (extinct as of the 1930s), the dodo (last seen in the late 1600s), and the woolly mammoth (lost to the world 4,000 years ago). Birthing dire wolves may have posed less of a challenge than those species, but Ben Lamm revealed that his conversations with indigenous people groups were also key to spurring this project along.
“This project came from our conversations with indigenous people groups,”Lamm said.“Some of the largest tribes in the United States started talking to us about wolf conservation,”the founder continued,“and the Great Wolf, and one of the chairmen said that his people believe that the dire wolf was the Great Wolf.”In addition, said Lamm,“[the chairman said] it was sad that the first animal [Colossal] brought back wasn’t an American species.”
This seemingly struck a chord for Lamm. While the dire wolf is the first animal to be successfully brought back from extinction by Colossal, the CEO’s work has allowed him to be a key figure in other major ecological breakthroughs such as the re-wilding of Tasmanian devils into Australia, which disappeared from the continent’s mainland thousands of years ago. But dire wolves are a uniquely North American creature, said the CEO:“If you look at the distribution of dire wolves, they’re only found in North America. But [something] like 99% of them are found only in the US.”
How To Recognize A Dire Wolf
“We Didn’t Know What It Was Going To Look Like”
During a 30-minute conversation with Lamm, the founder compared photos of the five-month-old Romulus and Remus to photos of other wolves at the same age. The differences were striking.“Wolves are [generally] anywhere between 75 and 100 pounds,”Lamm shared,“but Romulus and Remus are over 80 pounds in five months.”That was to be expected:“We knew that dire wolves were about 20 to 25 percent bigger. We knew their jaws were bigger and stronger. We knew that they [had] more muscular legs. These are pretty hardy animals.”
But due to the fact that Colossal was working with extinct DNA (they sequenced the dire wolf genome using a 13,000-year-old tooth from Sheridan Pit, Ohio and a likely 72,000-year-old inner ear bone from American falls, Idaho) there were surprises to be had.“We had found out that they were white,”Lamm revealed,“but we didn’t know what it was going to look like. Was it going to be blotchy? Who knows.”He continued:“What we also didn’t know is that they almost have this ridge line mane … We had no idea.”
Other distinguishing characteristics of dire wolves are golden yellow eyes (“no color correction,”Lamm was quick to add) a generally muscular appearance, especially around the jaws, and a broad gait and stance. In Lamm’s words,“They look like the linebackers of the wolf world.”Dire wolves also have an enviably straight-backed posture, deep, thick fur, and a long tail that has a“fox-like quality”despite having no relation to foxes.
Where Are The Dire Wolves Living?
The Wolves Currently Have 10 Full-Time Caregivers & Plenty Of Space
Remus, Romulus, and Khaleesi spend their time in a 6-acre subset of a 2,000-acre ecological reserve, which itself is enclosed by nine-foot-tall fencing. If that reminds you of any particular film franchise, don’t worry about Colossal repeating any Blockbuster-making mistakes.“There [are] no tourists allowed,”said Lamm, revealing that Colossal’s recent woolly mouse reveal has caused the company to double down on that position:“We’ve had some not-exactly-invited guests that have shown up wanting to see the mice, so we’re definitely not sharing the location of the dire wolves. We’re even carefully cropping videos and stuff.”
The dire wolves’ lives sound good, at least given Lamm’s description of their day-to-day and amenities:“We have some scheduled playtime, socialization, food… we have a full veterinary hospital there, a full animal husbandry unit, [and] a storm shelter for severe weather, in case something bad happens.“The animals also have a“very regimented plan”for socialization and other normal activities. According to Lamm,“they are behaving as expected, as wolves.”
What’s Next For The Dire Wolf?
“They’re Not Going To Be In, Like, Montana Or Colorado”
Don’t expect the de-extinction of dire wolves to suddenly upend North American ecosystems. The re-wilding process for any animal, in Lamm’s words, follows steps like“very managed care, less managed care, open [area care], and, eventually, [life in the] wild.”But even when discussing his current hopes for the dire wolves, Lamm stated that“they’re not going to be in, like, Montana or Colorado.”
Though you won’t be running into dire wolves while camping, those at Colossal have real hopes for the species. Although Lamm said that Colossal will“probably make another three to four dire wolves and keep them in that ecological preserve,”there is a chance the wolves will end up living somewhere else.“We are going to bring out indigenous people groups to the preserve if they want them back on their private, sovereign land,”Lamm shared, noting that there“is a spiritual component to it.”
Any potential relocation of the dire wolves would be done with government assistance, with Lamm promising to work with the appropriate parts of the Department of the Interior. Lamm and others at Colossal do have good working relationships with many in government including currentSecretary of the Interior Doug Burgum, whose working relationship with the company stretches back to when he served as governor of North Dakota. In short, said Lamm,“We’re in talks with all the right people.”
The long-term goal for dire wolves is even bigger, Lamm shared:“We hope to have a whole Pleistocene-like ecosystem at some point in the far North. That will need predator-prey relationships, so I would love [the dire wolves to be a part of] that.”
Colossal’s Dire Wolves Might Be Considered Dire Wolf Version 1.1
Genetic Modification Eliminated Certain Risk Factors From The Original Genes
Romulus, Remus, and Khaleesi are the first of their kind to live in 10,000 years–or maybe ever. Colossal had an immense amount of information about dire wolves–“About six years ago, people thought they only had a little bit of data. We have about 500 times more data,”said Lamm–and knew key pieces of information, such as their white coloring. But, Lamm revealed, after doing research on what genes actually made dire wolves white,“Five of those genes had a risk factor that was not 0.”
As it turns out, the gene that made dire wolves white has a variant that could potentially cause blindness and deafness in wolves and dogs. The Colossal CEO didn’t want to take that chance, so Colossal engineered another gene mutation to give the dire wolves their white coloring without risking those results.“We put an insane amount of time into animal welfare,”Lamm shared.“I don’t think many people will think about that, but that’s important to me.”
Dire Wolves Might Be The Stars, But Red Wolves Are The Substance
Colossal Is Working To Save The Nearly-Extinct Species: “This Is The First Red Wolf Ever Cloned”
The creation of a Pleistocene-era biome where dire wolves could roam naturally would be a massive undertaking in a world where finding support for ecological missions is getting harder and harder. Thankfully, Colossal isn’t letting its sensational achievements take away from actionable work.“We try to pair every animal de-extinction event with a species preservation event,”said Lamm,“and that was the red wolf.”
Red wolves are the most endangered wolves in the world, with“only about 15 left in the wild,”according to Lamm. Colossal has made four red wolves. The first, Hope, was a female, and she had three brothers, and, thanks to this work, Lamm and company have“already increased the genetic pool of red wolves by 25 percent.”Currently, Colossal is in talks with the Department of the Interior, the governor of North Carolina, and the United States government about how they can best work together to return red wolves into the wild.
How’s George R.R. Martin Taking All This?
Colossal Biosciences has its share of celebrity benefactors, and the dire wolf news has had a profound impact on them.“This is the first dire wolf howl in 10,000 years,” The Lord of the Ringsdirector and Colossal investor Peter Jackson said to Ben Lamm upon seeing a video of the living pups. After that, Jackson was quick to connect Lamm with George R.R. Martin, whoseA Song of Ice and Firesaga and itsGame of ThronesTV adaptation arguably made dire wolves a household name.
“You’ve got to talk to Ben. Trust me. Take the Zoom,”Jackson said to Martin, according to Lamm. Lamm even shared how that first call went, including his initial pitch to Martin:“I said, ‘You don’t know me. I’m not asking for anything, but I don’t want you to [just] read about this online. While this animal existed and many people know of it, the vast majority of people know of it because of you, and I would feel inauthentic without sharing this moment with you.”
Martin was“a little confused”at first – at least until Lamm shared his screen. Then, Lamm said,“he took off his glasses, held his head, and started crying. [He] started tearing up, and he was like, ‘This is the most amazing thing that’s ever happened. This is magic.’ And he gave me the quote that was in the press release. He’s like, ‘I write about magic, but you have created magic.’”Since that fateful Zoom meeting, Lamm and Martin have become friends. Martin has met the dire wolves in person and has even become an investor in Colossal Biosciences.
But when it comes to Martin and his work, there is always an elephant in the room–and not one of Colossal’s de-extinct woolly mammoths (at least, not yet). Fans still wait hungrily forThe Winds of Winter, the latest book in Martin’sA Song of Ice and Firesaga from which theGame of Thronesseries was adapted. And Martin visiting Colossal’s dire wolf habitat is, as online commentators have already noted, not Martin finishing his book.
Lamm admitted to wondering if even something as breathtaking as the first-ever successful de-extinction would be perceived as a worthy-enough reason for Martin to have a day off:“I was worried that people seeing him see dire wolves [would be] like, ‘This motherf***er’s keeping him from finishing my book.’ That’s my fear.”
Isn’t This All More Important Than A Game Of Thrones Tie-In?
Lamm Explains The Importance Of Pop Culture To Conservation
ScreenRanthas been one of the few outlets to debut exclusive images of Romulus and Remus in a miniature Iron Throne straight out ofGame of Thrones.As impressive as the image is, it’s almost jarring–de-extinction has repercussions that transcend pop culture, and the rebirth of a lost species is a significant step forward for science in general. Even the fact that people like Peter Jackson and George R.R. Martin have invested in Colossal is a little surprising.
But Colossal knows that the zeitgeist of it all is actually incredibly important for the future of conservation. During the conversation, Lamm held up children’s drawings, one of a dodo and one of a woolly mammoth, as proof that Colossal’s work and its sensational nature have inspired young ones around the world.“We get stuff like this every week,”said Lamm.
In the largest sense, it could be said that Colossal’s true mission is inspiration.“We’re totally f–ked if we just continue on this current path, which is just [to] protect land and hope for the best,”Lamm said, continuing,“That doesn’t work at the speed at which we are destroying the planet. So, if we can inspire kids through pop culture, they’re going to get excited about science … I know a lot of geneticists that don’t want to make a dinosaur, but became geneticists because they saw that movie as a kid.”
Lamm held up the child’s drawing of a woolly mammoth once more, its crayon-brown fur mostly–but not entirely–within the bounds of its outline, and asked a question that made his point:“What is this kid going to solve?”
What’s The Status Of Colossal’s Other De-Extinction Projects?
“Our Editing Efficiencies Are Getting Better & Faster”
With the return of the dire wolf and the reveal of the woolly mouse, suddenly Colossal’s other mammoth de-extinction goals don’t seem quite as farfetched.“I think we show, with both projects, that our editing efficiencies are getting better and faster,”Lamm said.
Lamm shared an update on Colossal’s other dream species:“We’ve been editing 25 genes of the 85 targeted genes for the mammoth in cell lines, and I don’t know the exact number, but it’s [now] in the 40s or 50s–so it’s higher.”
“For the thylacine,”Lamm continued,“we have, like, 300 edits, but we haven’t put that into a dunnart cell.”For those not caught up on Colossal’s thylacine de-extinction efforts, the fat-tailed dunnart is a mouse-like marsupial which happens to be the thylacine’s closest living relative, and it’s still posing a bit of an issue:“We have not solved somatic cell nuclear transfer yet in dunnarts, which we hope to [do] this year. At that point, we can start testing those and seeing what we get on the other side.”
The reveal of Romulus, Remus, and Khaleesi one month after news of Colossal’s woolly mice broke around the world has certainly catapulted the company into the news. When the subject of what Colossal may reveal next after the groundbreaking news of March and April, Lamm laughed and said,“May will not share the same results.”But in terms of Colossal’s potential for saving species, Romulus, Remus, Khaleesi, and their red wolf counterparts like Hope are proof and promise enough.
