Game of Thrones fans, as well as the rest of the world, are in for an amazing treat. A few months after the announcement that Colossal Biosciences had successfully managed to de-extinct Dire Wolves, the animals made famous in the fantasy series Game of Thrones have just reached a huge milestone.
The startup, which is the world’s only de-extinction company, celebrates Dire Wolves Remus and Romulus’ first birthday on Oct. 1. The animals are the first living dire wolves in thousands of years. Colossal made the announcement earlier this year in April when Remus and Romulus were six months old, and their sister, Khalessi, was three months old.
Although everyone knows about dire wolves from the HBO hit show Game of Thrones, as the animals were loyal companions to the Stark children, they were real American canids that existed thousands of years ago. Before Remus, Romulus, and Khalessi, the dire wolves had been distinct for over 12,500 years.
To manage to recreate the dire wolves, Colossal took DNA from a 13,000-year-old tooth and a 72,000-year-old skull and made healthy dire wolf puppies. The team made 20 unique precision germline edits, including 15 edits from the ancient gene variants, setting a new bar for precision germline editing in any animal.
Colossal Biosciences treated fans to a look at the happy, healthy dire wolves this summer, treating fans to a video showing the pups playing. This time, to celebrate their birthday, they went one step further. Stan Bush, best known for his song “The Touch” from 1986’s The Transformers: The Movie, and Lenny Macaluso collaborated to release a music video for the new song, “Happy Birthday, Dire Wolf.” Fans can listen to the new anthem below.
Aside from the new track, Colossal partnered with Mishka, a luxury dog bakery, for their three-tier, wild-themed birthday cake, as seen in the pictures above.
Romulus & Remus Continue to Thrive
The world’s only de-extinction company also confirmed several new details about the animals to celebrate their first birthday. They confirmed the brothers are over 120 lbs each, and they eat over 5 lbs of meat a day. They are expected to grow until their 15-18 months of age, and will continue to add on weight until they reach their second birthday. Romulus is expected to be somewhere over 140 lbs.
Their meals come once a day, and they feature “a varied diet that includes ground meat, stew-sized chunks, and portions of carcasses such as deer, cattle, or whole rabbits.” Aside from that, they also receive “bones like ribs or leg sections to chew.” There wouldn’t be a dire wolf without rewards, and the training rewards include “freeze-dried beef liver, about ½ to 1 cup per day depending on motivation and behaviors being trained. In addition, the wolves occasionally hunt small rodents within their preserve.”
They live on a 2,000+ acre ecological preserve certified by the American Humane Society. They have ten full-time staff employees caring for their physical and mental well-being, and are also monitored by live cameras, security staff, and drones. A full-time vet and a vet tech are also on the team, and are weighed weekly. Colossal plans on creating six to eight dire wolves.
Chief Animal Officer Matt James, who was present for their birth a year ago, said in a statement celebrating the occasion, “We’ve witnessed their physical, emotional, and social growth — something no one has seen in 12,500 years. Remus is fearless and bold, while Romulus is inquisitive, cautious, and confident.”
Beth Shapiro, Chief Science Officer at Colossal, added, “The dire wolves are thriving — beyond anything we could have imagined. Over the past year, we’ve learned so much from Romulus, Remus, and Khaleesi. Most importantly, the edits worked as expected and the animals are healthy. You can see it in their size, strength, and their striking white coats. Watching their development has been extraordinary.”
Ben Lamm, CEO and co-founder of Colossal, explained, “We’ve seen the excitement from the world after the birth of the dire wolves which captured the world’s imagination, and we want to share this milestone with everyone who has followed their journey. Romulus, Remus and Khalessi are the first animals ever brought back from extinction. They represent hope in the fight against biodiversity loss and proof that we can begin to restore what has been lost. The dire wolf’s story is a banner of possibility — for science, for conservation, and for humanity.”
Release Date
2011 – 2019-00-00
Showrunner
David Benioff, D.B. Weiss
Directors
David Nutter, Alan Taylor, D.B. Weiss, David Benioff