It’s 2025, and who would have guessed we’d be ditching Doodles for [drumroll] Dire Wolves! That’s the ambitious plan cooked up by Colossal Biosciences, the same folks who previously made headlines for working towards bringing back the woolly mammoth. This time, they’re cashing in on the Game of Thrones fandom, with the book and the HBO series turning Dire Wolves from a House Stark tradition to a household name.
And they even rented an Iron Throne for a puppy photoshoot! In an April 7 press release, Colossal Biosciences announced they’re the first to successfully “de-extinct” an animal species, with the reveal of three Dire Wolf pups. Two boys named Romulus and Remus…. And one basic bitch girl pup named Khaleesi. While 6 years after the finale of HBO’s Game of Thrones, it still beat George R. R. Martin releasing his conclusion to the series with The Winds of Winter. Dire Wolves took about a 13,000-year break – Let’s hope Martin doesn’t take quite that long to finish his next book.
Now, before you start picturing yourself cuddling up with a giant wolf Sansa Stark style, it’s important to note that these won’t be exact replicas. Apparently, they’re aiming to recreate a “functionally equivalent” animal by working with the DNA of their closest living relative, African wild dogs. So, more like a direwolf-ish dog, if you will.
The company’s CEO, Ben Lamm, enthusiastically declared that this project is about more than just fulfilling Westeros-inspired fantasies. He claims it has significant conservation benefits, aiming to restore ecological balance (and not to give delivery drivers a bigger challenge) Using the same tech, they’ve birthed two liters of cloned red wolves, which are the most critically endangered wolf species in the world.
What about the Dire Wolves on HBO’s Game of Thrones?
On HBO’s Game of Thrones, Kit Harington as John Snow had a Dire Wolf named Ghost, played by a canine actor named Cooper. Cooper was a Mahlek Northern Inuit, which is a breed that combines a German Shepherd and Malamute. For seasons 5 and 6, filming moved from Ireland to Alberta, Canada, where a trained Arctic Wolf named Quigley took over the role.
As Sansa Stark, Sophie Turner had a Dire Wolf named Lady who was also a Northern Inuit. Lady was played by Zunni, who Sophie ended up adopting. Lady passed away sometime in 2017.
For more info on IRL Dire Wolves (sorry there’s no adoption waiting list), visit colossal.com.