- Colossal Biosciences' three dire wolves are now hunting together as a pack in Dallas
- The wolves, named Romulus, Remus, and Khaleesi, hunt rabbits and are pursuing larger prey
- Annual health checks show the wolves are healthy, enabling plans to grow the pack carefully
Colossal Biosciences, the US-based startup that made headlines last year for its dire wolf de-extinction project, has claimed that three of its wolves are now hunting as a pack. At the grand opening of its Dallas headquarters, the company showed footage of the grown-up animals navigating snowy terrain and sharing a meal, according to a report in ScreenRant.
Marking a significant milestone in their efforts to restore the extinct species, the company said the pack hunting together was a sign of both physical maturity and social stability.
“They're good at the hunting part, but they're bad at the killing part, so they brought back a very live bunny,” Matt James, Colossal's chief animal officer, told the outlet.
James said the three dire wolves, Romulus, Remus, and Khaleesi, had mastered hunting bunnies and were now attempting to pursue larger prey.
"I think we see a full-grown dire wolf for the first time, which is really neat," he said, adding that the wolves recently completed their annual health checkup, which included CT scans and MRI imaging among other tests.
“Everybody looked really happy and healthy, so that really checks the box so that we can say ‘yeah, we can continue to grow this herd, this pack.'”
While the pack remains healthy, James said the growth has to be managed carefully before adding new dire wolves into the mix.
“I'm the brakes in this situation where all the scientists are like, ‘Let's make a hundred more!' and I'm like, ‘Well, hold on!'” Space, staffing, and facility capacity all shape how quickly the population can expand."
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Dire Wolves Reincarnated
In April last year, the Texas startup released footage of canines they claimed were dire wolves, a species that vanished more than 12,000 years ago. The wolves were born of both grey wolf and extinct dire wolf DNA.
The pups underwent 20 genetic edits across 14 genes to replicate the physical traits of their extinct ancestors, making them nearly 20 per cent heavier than average grey wolves. As per the company, they exhibited classic dire wolf traits, including thick white fur, broad heads and hefty builds.
Colossal Biosciences aims to use genetic modification technology to aid in conservation efforts, such as saving the critically endangered red wolf and northern white rhino. But the project has sparked debate, with some critics questioning the term "de-extinction" and the ethics of genetic modification.
