Dire wolves re-born with biotech celebrate first birthday: See the pups thrive

Dire wolves Romulus and Remus are now 1-year-old. They were born Oct. 1, 2024.
Ahead of their birthday, the wolves were treated to a custom-made cake from Mishka Luxury Dog Boutique in San Francisco.

Dire wolves Romulus and Remus are now 1-year-old. They were born Oct. 1, 2024.

The dire wolf Remus partakes of his birthday cake.

Colossal researchers implanted surrogate dog mothers with fertilized dire wolf eggs to bring Romulus and Remus into the world. They first created a dire wolf genome and then edited the gray wolf genome to express specific traits of dire wolves.

Shown at 15 days old are two male dire wolves, Romulus and Remus, born by surrogate dog mothers from fertilized and implanted genetically-edited eggs with the ancient DNA of dire wolves.

Remus, a male dire wolf, relaxes. He was born Oct. 1, 2024.

CEO of Colossal Ben Lamm said their team took DNA from a 13,000 year old tooth, found in Ohio, and a 72,000 year old skull to produce the healthy dire wolf puppies.

Wolves became a focus at Colossal after a meeting with The MHA (Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara) Nation in central North Dakota. While talking with the tribal leaders about research on buffalo and bison conservation, "they told us there's not enough going into wolf conservation," Lamm said, and began discussing the dire wolf and wolves' importance to generations of Native Americans.

The dire wolf is a symbol that "carries the echoes of our ancestors, their wisdom, and their connection to the wild,” said MHA Nation Tribal Chairman Mark Fox in a statement. “Its presence would remind us of our responsibility as stewards of the Earth – to protect not just the wolf, but the delicate balance of life itself."

The dire wolves live on Colossal's 2,000+ acre secure expansive ecological preserve, which is certified by the American Humane Society and registered with the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

The wolves are continuously monitored through on-site live cameras, security personnel, and drone tracking to ensure their safety and welfare.

Romulus and Remus, two male dire wolves, were born from fertilized dire wolf eggs implanted into and born by surrogate dog mothers. Here they are one month old in November 2024.

"I think for me the most exciting thing about this project is that shows how we can use cutting edge technologies in molecular biology to help protect and preserve populations of animals that are at risk of extinction today," Elinor Karlsson, the director of vertebrate genomics at the Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT and a geneticist who's a member of Colossal's advisory board, told USA TODAY.

Romulus at five months old. Using the genetic data, researchers could confirm the gray wolf as the closest living relative of the dire wolf – they share 99.5% of their DNA code.

Khaleesi, the third dire wolf birthed by the biotech firm, was born in January 2025. She was named after the "Game of Thrones" character.

A custom-made cake from Mishka Luxury Dog Boutique in San Francisco for the male dire wolves' first birthday.

Romulus and Remus at about three months old.

"They are super friendly because we've raised them ... (chief animal officer) Matt (James) bottle fed them when they were just young pups. But they are starting to come into their own, where they're acting more and more like wolves."

Remus is seen at five months old.