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Colossal Biosciences shared footage from the first face-to-face meeting between its three de-extinct dire wolves
In the clip, female dire wolf Khaleesi gets to know her older, larger brothers, Romulus and Remus
Trainers for the genetic engineering company hope that, with gradual introductions between the dire wolves, the three animals can eventually share a habitat
Until recently, Colossal Biosciences has kept the three dire wolves it brought back from extinction separated, with the two males, Romulus and Remus, in one habitat, and the one female, Khaleesi, in another.
On August 12, the biotechnology and genetic engineering company committed to its ongoing de-extinction project, shared an update video about the three revived animals, including footage of all the dire wolves meeting face-to-face for the first time.
In the clip, Khaleesi meets her brothers individually first, starting with Romulus, before all three get a chance to play together. Trainers noticed that during Romulus and Khaleesi’s time together, Khaleesi darted towards a stack of logs in the habitat and climbed under them when her brother started chasing her. This was likely a safety precaution Khaleesi took to feel more comfortable and in control around her larger brother.
Colossal Sciences
Dire wolves Khaleesi (left) and Romulus (right)
“She’s a really smart little dire wolf,” says the trainer featured in the footage. “She’s small enough that she can make it under some of the logs, and Romulus couldn’t, so that helped her control the interactions.”
After some time under the logs, Khaleesi comes back out to continue playing with her brother; occasionally returning to the logs when she wants a safe space.
Colossal Sciences
Khaleesi going under the log, Romulus hopping over
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In the footage, the trainer also notes that the wolves’ ears were “up the entire time” during their play session, a good sign indicating comfort and happiness.
Once Khaleesi got to know Romulus, she was introduced to Remus. The trainer notes in the video that both the dire wolves were excited to meet and that Remus was more gentle with his sister than Romulus.
After two successful meetings, all three of the dire wolves were able to play together.
“From here on out, we are going to alternate introducing her to one brother,” says the trainer in the clip. “So, like, one day she’ll get to hang out and play with Remus, and the next day it’ll be Romulus. And we’ll just alternate over and over, to give her a sense of confidence.”
“We want her to feel like she’s controlling all of her interactions with them. So we’re going with a cautious approach,” they add.
Colossal Sciences
Remus (left), Khaleesi (right)
Once Khaleesi grows slightly larger, Colossal Biosciences will consider housing the three dire wolves together, but only if the animals appear confident and comfortable with each other.
“We want to make sure that nobody is injured, no one is scared,” the trainer explains.
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Colossal Biosciences first announced the arrival of the three dire wolves back in April, in a statement from CEO and co-founder Ben Lamm.
“Our team took DNA from a 13,000-year-old tooth and a 72,000-year-old skull and made healthy dire wolf puppies,” said Lamm at the time. “It was once said, ‘Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.’ Today, our team gets to unveil some of the magic they are working on and its broader impact on conservation.”
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