Elon Musk now desires a small woolly mammoth as a pet. The richest man in the world made an unusual request after a US biotech firm announced that it had successfully produced live cubs of genetically engineered dire wolves, which are extinct — a huge breakthrough in de-extinction science.
Texas-based Colossal Biosciences said it had given birth to three such wolf pups. The thick snow-white fur and broad jawlines of these animals closely matched the fabled dire wolves of North America thousands of years ago. The animal became famous again through the HBO show Game of Thrones, which featured them.
The firm employed cutting-edge gene-editing tech to develop the pups, which it hailed as “world’s first de-extinction.”
Musk Responds on X Using Game of Thrones Imagery
Responding to the development, Elon Musk reposted pictures associated with the project on X (formerly known as Twitter). One was a Time magazine cover with a picture of a white wolf and “Extinct” boldly struck through. Another going-viral image had two of the genetically engineered wolf pups sitting on the Iron Throne — a Game of Thrones icon of dominance.
Musk penned, “Please make a miniature pet woolly mammoth.”
Please make a miniature pet wooly mammoth https://t.co/UxoIWmzq6h
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) April 7, 2025
Colossal Biosciences, founded by entrepreneur Ben Lamm, has already turned its attention to an even larger prehistoric mission — reviving the woolly mammoth by 2028.
“The Colossal woolly mouse marks a watershed moment in our de-extinction mission,” Lamm said in an interview with Time Magazine about their scientific achievements.
Woolly Mammoths: Ice Age Giants With a Legendary Legacy
Woolly mammoths, the giant beasts of the Ice Age, roamed Europe, North America, and northern Asia. Standing as high as 13 feet tall and weighing more than 6,000 kg, these animals sported thick coats of brown, black, or red fur, along with a fat layer almost four inches thick to withstand cold climates.
They were armed with legendary spiraled tusks more than 15 feet in length, employed for defense, digging, and fighting. In contrast to today’s elephants, mammoths had shorter ears and tails, a rounded skull, and a characteristic hump to retain heat.
Woolly mammoths went extinct almost 4,000 years ago, but with the aid of advanced science, they could soon rove the planet again — even in Musk’s backyard.
