Colossal Biosciences Says Its Genetically Modified Dire Wolf Project Animals Have Reached Breeding Age

Colossal Biosciences has announced that its three de-extinct dire wolves are now breeding-aged as of 2026 and the Texas-based company plans to expand the pack later this year. The dire wolves, named Romulus, Remus and Khaleesi, were born in late 2024 and early 2025.

They represent the world’s first de-extinct animals and have learned to process whole deer carcasses while living in a secure 2,000-acre preserve.

Matt James, Colossal’s chief animal officer, said the animals have reached reproductive maturity. “The dire wolf pack is actually breeding-aged at this point. But we will initially grow the pack through assisted reproduction while we create new, genetically diverse individuals,” he stated.

Colossal Biosciences intends to engineer two to four additional dire wolf pups. The company aims to create an inter-breedable population that can eventually breed naturally to form a sustainable group of the world’s first de-extinct species. James outlined the phased approach.

“We will grow the population through assisted reproduction initially and then eventually only rely on natural breeding,” he said. Ben Lamm, Colossal’s CEO and co-founder, offered an update on the animals’ condition. “The dire wolves are doing great,” he stated.

The three dire wolves live on a 2,000-acre secure, expansive ecological preserve that allows Colossal to monitor and manage them while providing a semi-wild habitat. Lamm expressed optimism about near-term growth. ” The company reconstructed the dire wolf genome from ancient DNA fragments in bone samples including a 72,000-year-old skull.

Scientists edited gray wolf embryos to incorporate dire wolf traits including a white coat, larger teeth, more muscular build and distinctive howl. Embryos were implanted in surrogate dogs. The dire wolf pups were born by caesarean section.

@zerohedge reported that Colossal Biosciences is running several parallel de-extinction projects. The company is aiming for a live woolly mammoth calf by late 2028 and is editing Asian elephant genomes to restore cold-adapted traits. For the thylacine, also known as the Tasmanian tiger, Colossal Biosciences is editing fat-tailed dunnart cells.

The dodo project uses Nicobar pigeon cells and stem cell technology. The dodo has been extinct for over 350 years. Colossal Biosciences is also working on the moa, a giant flightless bird of New Zealand extinct for about 600 years.

Director Peter Jackson has invested in the moa project. In April 2026, Colossal Biosciences announced the bluebuck antelope, or Hippotragus leucophaeus, as its sixth de-extinction target. The bluebuck antelope was driven to extinction around 1800.

The company is editing roan antelope cells for the bluebuck project. The dire wolf effort stands as the first success in this broader portfolio. Lamm and James have described the preserve as an environment that balances oversight with natural behaviors, setting the stage for the planned transition from assisted reproduction to self-sustaining packs.