Dire wolves have been extinct for 12,000 years, but were brought back to life thanks to a genetic engineering company, who have revealed their small breed are over one year old
A pack of previously extinct “dire wolves” have celebrated their first birthday. This comes after the species was astonishingly brought back to life by a genetics company last year.
Dire wolves have been extinct on planet Earth for a total of 12,500 years and are drastically different to that of the modern-day wolf. Best known for appearances and references on Game of Thrones, the dire wolf has a huge head and a powerful jaw, making the ability to crush bones a walk in the park.
Back in April of this year, a eugenics company revealed they had managed to successfully breed three pups of the seemingly extinct animal. Now, the business has provided a heartwarming update as the wolves celebrated their first birthday.
Colossal – the company behind the bizarre move had managed to gather enough DNA from a 13,000-year-old dire wolf tooth, together with a skull from 72,000 years ago to create the animals. The move was a major breakthrough for science, as three pups were successfully born and raised.
Dexerto reports that the company had used a variety of methods to bring the seemingly extinct species back to life, including modifying the DNA of modern grey wolves to make them more like dire wolves. Unfortunately, this means that the exact species was not resurrected, but instead fused with more modern iterations of wolves.
The company’s decision to breed a group of “dire wolves” drew curiosity and criticism from many spectators, who accused Colossal of playing God. However, with the cubs now officially reaching one-year-old, the company has hailed the experiment as a success.
In total, three pups were born. Wwo boys – aptly named Romulus and Remus, in a nod to the myth of wolves helping in the foundation of Rome – and a girl. The female cub is named Khaleesi, in tribute of Game of Thrones character Daenerys Targaryen, who had used dire wolves throughout her time on the show.
Taking to their social media to share in the happy news, Colossal officially announced the pup’s birthday, working together with a dog boutique to create a cake for both brothers. The cake, suitably healthy for wolves of their stature, consisted of beef pate, agar-agar and vegetable juices to give them a balanced meal.
Since being born, Romulus and Remus have grown considerably, and are now reported to be around 120lbs in weight (54kg). They are now being raised on a diet of “ground meat, stew-sized chunks, and portions of carcasses such as deer, cattle, or whole rabbits” and are scoffing down on 5lbs of meat every day.
All living together, the trio are now being housed in an ecological reserve spanning over 2,000 acres, and have their own storm shelters and natural dens for researchers to learn about the pack. In total, there are now ten full-time employees looking after the animals, but this is not the end of Colossal’s plan.
According to their ethos, Colossal plans to create an entire pack of roughly 6-8 dire wolves that can sustain itself in the wild.
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