The Return of the Direwolf: Right or Wrong?

Maria Tsevdos '26

Direwolves, a larger, more robust type of wolf, have been extinct for around 10,000 years. These wolves could grow to be up to five feet long, and 150 pounds. Direwolves mainly roamed throughout North and South America, going extinct at the end of the last ice age. However, recently science has made strides in bringing back these wolves.

There are many remains of direwolves around the Americas, which helped the process in bringing them back. Remains of an ear and tooth bone proved essential, as these remains provided a genetic blueprint to work with.

Colossal Biosciences, is a biotechnology company that focuses on de-extinction and repopulating ecosystems. It was this company that worked on bringing direwolves out of extinction.

The company extracted DNA from direwolf remains, and compared it to the genetic code of a modern day grey wolf. After the comparison was completed, scientists then altered the DNA of grey wolves to incorporate some specific characteristics of a direwolf. This resulted in genetically modified embryo’s, which were carried by domestic dogs.

Ultimately, over the course of last fall and this winter, three direwolves were born: Romulus, Remus, and Khaleesi. Romulus and Remus, were named after the twin founders of Rome, who were both raised by a wolf. Their sister was named as a reference to one of Daenerys Targaryen’s (a popular Game of Thrones character) titles.

The wolves are described as having a thicker, lighter coat than gray wolves, and are also larger. The wolves, though friendly, keep their distance from humans, and are not as playful as typical puppies.

While the wolves do exhibit similarities with direwolves, the species has not technically come out of extinction. In fact, they are more like a hybrid between a gray wolf, and a direwolf, instead.

The three wolves do share some characteristics with direwolves, but really they are just genetically modified gray wolves. Many feel that Colossal Biosciences claims that they have brought direwolves out of extinction are inaccurate and misleading.

According to the company, they have plans to bring back wooly mammoths, dodo birds, and Tasmanian Tigers. Colossal Biosciences believes that by bringing back extinct species, endangered ecosystems can stabilize and become healthier.

The company feels that this will help combat climate change. For example, the grazing patterns of a wooly mammoth can reduce methane emissions, and increase carbon storage in soil.

However, the company’s methods have proved to be controversial. Critics argue that the technology is still not fully developed. There are ethical concerns regarding the creation of hybrid species as well. One of the loudest criticisms is that such work diverts resources from other conservation efforts. Many feel that such resources could be better used trying to save current species that are near extinction, instead.

Despite the various concerns, the resurrection of direwolves makes a great contribution to science. Colossal Biosciences works have proved that in some capacity, bringing back extinct species is possible.

While direwolves are not truly back, the actions of Colossal Biosciences have created many conversations discussing the pro’s and con’s of de-extinction. The creation of these hybrids is only the beginning of the company’s goals.

But whether bringing back extinct species will be ethical, useful, and helpful (especially regarding climate change), has yet to be seen.