Indiana’s Key Role in Bringing 12,000-Year-Extinct Dire Wolves Back to Life

Indiana has an interesting connection to the newly revived dire wolf species that has been extinct for more than 12,000 years.

Previosly Extinct Wolf Species Brought Back by Biotech Company

Through its work in "de-extinction," a biotech startup company out of Dallas, Texas has just announced that it have brought back a species of wolf that hasn't walked the earth in over 12,000 years. Indiana may have played a role in that.

It's All About Science and Conservation

Colossal Laboratories & Biosciences says they are in the "science of genetics," and "business of discovery," blending scientific study and technology with conservation, according to the company's website.

"De-Extinction" Underway For Several Long-since Departed Species

Currently, the company is in the process of bring back a number of long-gone species through its "de-extinction" process including the wooly mammoth, tasmanian tiger, the dodo and the dire wolf.

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Dire Wolf Pups Born From Genetic Modifications

It's the dire wolf that the company has allegedly managed to resurrect after studying DNA from a 13,000 year old tooth and a 72,000 year old skull, and then using what they learned to genetically modify cells from the non-extinct gray wolf, according to NPR. It's the modified DNA that the company then used to to create implantable embryos that were carried to term in a female domestic dog.

Why Did They Use Gray Wolves to Recreate Dire Wolves?

According to TechCrunch, reasearchers found that dire wolves and gray wolves are "99.5% genetically identical." However, the researchers did not use all of the genes recovered from the centuries-old dire wolf remains due to fears that some of the genes would have resulted in deafness and blindness.

Three Dire Wolf Pups Have Been Born: Khaleesi, Romulus, and Remus

From the process three pups with dire wolf characteristics have been born. The female pup was named after the popular "Game of Thrones" character Khaleesi, and the two male pups are named Romulus and Remus, twins who, in Roman mythology, were abandoned amd raised by wolves.

Dire Wolves Were Significantly Larger Than Modern Wolves

Dire wolves were much larger than their predisessors like the gray wolf which grow to 100 pounds, the red wolf which can reach 65 pounds, and the coyote which weighs as much as 30 pounds. The dire wolf reached as much as 130 - 150 pounds.

So How Does "De-extinction" Efforts in Texas Connect Back to Indiana?

While over 2,000 dire wolf specimins have been recovered from California at the Rancho La Brea Tar Pits, the very first dire wolf fossil remains were found and recovered near Evansville, Indiana. According to Indiana University, Francis Lincke was the man responsible for their recovery along the Ohio River in 1854. Dire wolf remains have been found in Evansville, as well as Monroe and Crawford Counties.

Caring For Dire Wolves in the Twenty-First Century

Colossal has taken great pains to ensure that these animals have everything they need to thrive including a state of the art facility that has been American Humane Certified, along with daily care and veterinary support. You can take a behind the scenes tour of their expansive ecosystem in the video below.

[SOURCE: NPR; TechCrunch; IGWS.Indiana.edu; Colosall Bioscience]