Scientists have successfully brought back to life an extinct species of wolf by creating three dire wolf pups using ancient DNA, cloning and gene-editing technology to alter the genes of a grey wolf, according to Dallas-based biotech company Colossal Biosciences, as reported by CNN.
Dire wolves – larger in size than grey wolves, with slightly wider head, light thick fur and stronger jaw – were top predators once roaming around North America. The species was the inspiration behind the fearsome canine in the TV series “Game of Thrones”.
They have been reported to die out about 12,500 years ago.
Meanwhile, the biotech company is also known to have been working to resurrect the extinct mammoth, dodo and Tasmanian tiger since 2021. The dire wolf (Aenocyon dirus) has now become the first successfully de-extinct animal in the world, according to the CNN news report.
Image: Wikipedia/Aledgn
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