Dire wolves brought back: See photos of Romulus, Remus and Khaleesi
The recent birth of three dire wolf puppies marks the first time Colossal Biosciences has successfully "de-extincted" a species.
Four-legged creatures known as dire wolves who were prominent in HBO's "Game of Thrones" series no longer belong solely to the realm of fantasy.
Colossal Biosciences, the genetic engineering company working to bring back a few different extinct animals, announced this week the successful resurrection of the Ice Age-era species. The recent birth of three dire wolf puppies marks the first time Colossal has successfully "de-extincted" a species, the company said Monday in a press release.
Colossal, a biotech company based in Dallas, Texas, is famous for its efforts to bring back the wooly mammoth and the Tasmanian tiger. DNA recovered from a 13,000-year-old tooth and a 72,000-year-old skull is what propelled scientists at Colossal to bring back the dire wolf.
The creatures, who have regularly appeared in pop culture as mythical animals, are most famously featured in "Game of Thrones" and George R.R. Martin's "A Song of Ice and Fire" fantasy novels that the show is based upon. Fans of the series will remember that dire wolves are the sigil of House Stark, and a litter of abandoned pups becomes loyal companions to Stark children in the storyline.
But dire wolves are real-world predators that once roamed North America before going extinct about 13,000 years ago. The animals are larger than modern-day gray wolves with a wider head and snout and larger jaws and teeth.
If you want more details on just how Colossal pulled off the feat, we've got you covered here. But if you're just looking for some photos of the fluffy predators, you came to the right place.
Here's a look at Colossal's dire wolves: