With the successful resurrection of the dire wolf now established as scientific fact, Colossal Biosciences has validated its core technologies and methodologies for the de-extinction of species. This achievement, while momentous, represents just the first milestone in the company’s ambitious agenda to revive multiple extinct species and develop technologies that bridge de-extinction with the conservation of endangered species.
The company’s pipeline includes three additional flagship de-extinction targets: the woolly mammoth, the dodo bird, and the Tasmanian tiger, each selected for specific ecological and scientific reasons. According to Ben Lamm, Colossal’s CEO and co-founder, these species were selected based on several criteria, including the availability of sufficient genetic material, their ecological significance, and the potential conservation applications of the technologies developed to revive them.
The woolly mammoth represents Colossal’s most publicized and perhaps most ambitious target. Extinct for approximately 4,000 years, these Ice Age giants once shaped vast Arctic ecosystems through their grazing behaviors and physical impact on the landscape. The company has committed to producing the first woolly mammoth calves by 2028, using Asian elephants as surrogate mothers and genetic templates.
Significant progress has already been reported on this front. In early 2025, Colossal announced the creation of a genetically modified “woolly mouse” with traits derived from mammoth genes. This achievement demonstrates the viability of expressing mammoth-specific traits in modern mammals and represents a crucial stepping stone toward the larger goal of mammoth restoration.
The dodo project, meanwhile, targets a species lost more recently—the flightless bird disappeared from its native Mauritius in the late 17th century due to human activities. Working with evolutionary biologist Beth Shapiro, who joined Colossal full-time after initial consultations on the dire wolf project, the company aims to resurrect this iconic symbol of human-caused extinction. The scientific approach involves using genetic material from preserved dodo specimens and the bird’s closest living relatives to recreate its distinctive traits.
The most technically feasible of Colossal’s targets is the Tasmanian tiger, also known as the thylacine, which survived until the 1930s before being hunted to extinction. With specimens preserved in museums and a genome that has already been sequenced, the thylacine represents a strong candidate for de-extinction. The company is developing a program to release Tasmanian tiger joeys back to their original habitat after a period of controlled captivity, working closely with Australian conservation authorities.
What unifies these diverse projects is Colossal’s consistent emphasis on developing technologies that have applications beyond a single species. The same genetic engineering techniques that enabled the resurrection of the dire wolf are being refined and expanded for the company’s other targets, with each project building upon the others. Furthermore, Colossal has demonstrated a commitment to applying these technologies to endangered species conservation, as evidenced by their simultaneous work on cloning critically endangered red wolves.
This integration of de-extinction and conservation represents a core element of the company’s strategy. “We try to pair every animal de-extinction event with a species preservation event,” Lamm has explained. This approach provides multiple pathways to ecological impact while also helping to address ethical questions about the allocation of resources between reviving lost species and saving those on the brink of disappearance.
The timeline for these future de-extinctions varies according to the unique challenges presented by each species. The company has indicated that the next successful resurrection will likely be the Tasmanian tiger, with projections suggesting joeys could be born within the next two to three years. The dodo and woolly mammoth present greater challenges due to the significant physiological differences between these species and their closest living relatives.
Beyond its publicly announced targets, Colossal has hinted at additional species under consideration for future de-extinction work. Criteria for selection include ecological significance, technical feasibility, and potential conservation benefits. The company has also collaborated with indigenous communities to identify culturally significant species that may be suitable candidates for restoration.
The economic model supporting this work combines traditional venture capital investment with strategic partnerships with conservation organizations and government entities. Colossal has also developed commercial applications of its technologies through spinoff companies, including Form Bio and Breaking, which focus on computational biology software and plastic degradation, respectively. These ventures provide additional revenue streams to support the capital-intensive work of de-extinction while applying the company’s technological breakthroughs to other pressing environmental challenges.