Table of Contents

• Dire Wolves Are Back-ish

• This Week in Weirdness

• Lore and Legends: The Waheela, Shunka Warak’in, an …

• Reader Story: Something's Stalking the Farm

Dire Wolves Are Back-ish

In case you somehow haven’t heard, Colossal Biosciences (the company trying to revive woolly mammoths) is now drawing attention with its latest project: bringing back the dire wolf.

They’ve just announced the birth of three genetically modified wolf pups, Romulus, Remus, and Khaleesi, all engineered to resemble the long-extinct dire wolf (Aenocyon dirus), a species that disappeared around 10,000 years ago. This is the first real step in their effort to revive extinct species using modern gene editing.

How did they do it?

Scientists analyzed ancient dire wolf DNA, pulled from a 13,000-year-old tooth and a 72,000-year-old skull, and compared it to that of modern gray wolves. They then identified around 20 key genetic differences across 14 genes. Using CRISPR, they made those edits to gray wolf embryos, which were then implanted into surrogate domestic dogs, and eventually became the three pups.

But Are They Really dire wolves?

Not exactly. Critics point out that with only 14 genes edited out of 20,000 the gray wolves have, these pups aren’t truly dire wolves; they’re modified gray wolves.

Some also raise ethical questions: Is it fair to create animals that don’t have a natural place in today’s ecosystems? And is it smart to invest in reviving extinct animals while countless modern species face extinction?

That said, without the buzz around projects like this there likely wouldn’t be nearly as much funding or public interest in advancing these cutting-edge biotechnologies. The hype helps open doors for future breakthroughs that could benefit both extinct and endangered species alike.

What’s Next?

Colossal sees the dire wolf project as a stepping stone. The company’s long-term goals include reviving the Woolly Mammoth and Tasmanian Tiger, with the hope of repairing ecosystems damaged by human activity.

Whether you see it as science fiction or the future of conservation, Colossal’s work is pushing the boundaries of what’s possible and challenging us to rethink what "extinct" really means.

More details on the project here.

This Week in Weirdness

• Last week a Colorado women recorded a strange creature some are calling a “Chupacabra”. Like most American Chupacabra reports, it is likely a raccoon with mange.

• Aerial Intelligence company Skywatcher has released a new 9 type classification system for UFOs.

• An urban explorer in Mexico witnessed humanoid figures and “strange cries” at an abandoned Sesame Street theme park.

• Ranchers in Colorado report increasing cattle abductions, with over 200 missing since Thanksgiving 2024.

• Another Colorado women reported an “8 foot tall ape-like creature” crossing the road near her home

Lore and Legends: The Waheela, Shunka Warak’in, and other wolf-like cryptids

The Waheela

In keeping with this weeks theme of large white wolf-like creatures, the Waheela is a large, white, wolf-like creature from the Nahanni region of northern Canada. It is particularly associated with the Dene people, who are native to the area and have long been aware of its existence. It is described as solitary and seems to have a mixture of wolf, bear, and big cat-like features such as large splayed feet, a thick cat like tail, and a sloping back.

First brought to public attention by Frank Graves during his 1965 expedition to the Nahanni Valley, some believe the Waheela possesses supernatural powers, sometimes referred to as a "ghost wolf." Ivan T. Sanderson, mentor to Graves and one of the father’s of cryptozoology, has theorized that the creature could be related to the extinct Amphicyon, a large creature with features very similar to those described in encounters of the Waheela.

The Shunka Warak’in

The Shunka Warak’in is another large wolf-like cryptid from the Rockies in Montana, with sightings dating back to the late 1800s. Its name, translated from Chiwere (the language of the Ioway people) means "carries off dogs," reflecting its predatory nature and association with attacks on domestic animals.

The Shunka Warak'in is typically described as a large, hyena-like animal with a powerful build, a sloping back, and a coarse, bristly coat that can range in color from dark brown to gray. Its hyena-like appearance has lead some to believe it could be an escaped hyena, a hybrid between a wolf and a hyena, or a surviving American hyena (which roamed America until 780,000 years ago). A man named Israel Ammon Hutchins shot an animal on the Sun Ranch in Montana in 1886, which some have claimed as evidence of the Shunka Warak’in. The animal was stuffed but it has never been examined by qualified scientists.

The Ozark Howler

The Ozark Howler is a beast that is somewhat difficult to pin down, with some calling it bear-like, some calling it wolf-like, some calling it cat-like and some calling it a hoax. It deserves it’s own dedicated entry but I wanted to mention it here as, controversial biologist and tv personality Forrest Galante claimed to have identified the Ozark Howler once and for all as a nearly extinct American red wolf. This nicely rounds out this weeks article as the American red wolf is one of the animals Colossal’s work is already helping. You can read more about their work here.

Reader Story: Something's Stalking the Farm