Dire Wolf Resurrected: Colossal's Breakthrough Sparks Debate As Musk Asks For Pet Mammoth

A genetics and biosciences company on Monday revealed it has "resurrected" the dire wolf, an extinct canine species that belonged to the same lineage as the wolves and jackals, bringing attention to the rise of advancements in the field of genetics.

Among the prominent people who took notice of the achievement by Colossal Laboratories & Biosciences was tech titan Elon Musk, who posted the TIME Magazine's cover of the dire wolf brought back to life in a process the team called "de-extinction."

Musk asks Colossal for a new pet

A few hours after posting the TIME feature about dire wolves Remus and Romulus, Musk re-posted, but this time, he asked the team to create a whole new species.

"Please make a miniature pet wooly mammoth," he wrote. Ben Lamm, the co-founder of Colossal, responded to Musk, saying, "On it."

Many X users were thrilled, commenting that it would be nice to see a miniature version of the woolly mammoth, which were said to have roamed parts of North America, Europe, and Asia around 300,000 years ago.

Some X users even came up with edited photos of what Musk and his mini pet woolly mammoth would look like.

However, not everyone was pleased with the idea of reviving extinct species, and others were disappointed Musk supported the movement.

The de-extinction ethics issue

One user addressed the Tesla CEO directly, telling him that "this type of technology could be very dangerous and harm all ecosystems."

"Corrupting Mother Nature is not a good thing," said another user, suggesting that making genetic changes to animals won't be beneficial.

They're not the only ones who have raised concerns around the de-extinction of long-extinct species. Critics have said the large sums of cash invested in such projects are better spent on other efforts, including the breeding of hybrid creatures.

What Colossal aims to achieve

As per its website, Colossal hopes that in the future, its genetically de-extincted animals will be able to play a role in the greater ecosystem. The company built what it said was the world's first dire wolf reserve, with 2,000 acres of land, in an undisclosed location in the United States to protect the wolves.

"This isn't just our moment—it's one for science, our planet, and humankind. All of which we love and are passionate about. Now, close your eyes and listen to that howl once more. Think about what this means for all of us," the team said in its official introduction of Remus and Romulus.

The dire wolf pups were brought back to life through ancient DNA that the Colossal team extracted from fossilized remains of extinct dire wolves.

The video of the siblings howling has reached millions of views on X, but questions remain on the ethical facet of resurrecting ancient species.

Colossal also announced the birth of Khaleesi, a female, who, like the now-famous twin dire wolves, was brought to life through genetic editing. Remus and Romulus were born in October, while Khaleesi was born in January. All three were born via surrogate hound-mix dogs.