Colossal Argues They Never Hid the Wolves’ True Identity
In response to criticism, Colossal maintains they were transparent about the wolves’ origins. Company spokespeople defended their work by stating their aim was to produce a “functional equivalent” of the dire wolf—an animal that looks and behaves similarly and performs the same purpose in nature. Chief scientist Beth Shapiro pushed back against critics, insisting “We’ve said that from the very beginning. Colloquially, they’re calling them dire wolves and that makes people angry.”
However, critics pointed to a fundamental contradiction: while Colossal’s scientific team acknowledged the limitations of their approach in academic settings, their marketing materials and press releases continued to use dramatic language about “de-extinction” and “bringing back” species. This strategy of making sweeping public claims while quietly hedging in scientific interviews drew accusations of having it both ways—capitalizing on public excitement about resurrecting extinct animals while maintaining plausible deniability when challenged by experts.