Extinct blue antelope is being brought back after 200 years

by

Following their success in recreating the Dire Wolf – a species extinct for more than 12,500 years – a company is now attempting to bring back blue Antelopes.

Okay, so this is insane! Back in April 2025, Colossal – a company doing some crazy bioengineering stuff – announced they’d actually brought back dire wolf pups! These things have been extinct for over 12,500 years, which is mind-blowing. It’s like something straight out of Jurassic Park, but with wolves!

Scientists at Colossal successfully recreated dire wolves – animals made famous by the show Game of Thrones – using DNA from remains that were up to 72,000 years old. They started with genetic material found in a tooth and a skull from healthy pups, and the recreated wolves recently celebrated their first birthday.

A bioscience and genetic engineering company is now considering bringing back the Bluebuck, an extinct type of antelope.

Colossal wants to bring back Bluebuck after 200 years

According to Colossal, the bluebuck, a unique, bluish antelope from South Africa, disappeared by the late 1700s. Last sighted in 1799, it was the first large African mammal to go extinct due to human activity, as reported on April 30.

The bluebuck disappeared before scientists could fully learn about it. Today, we have the technology to investigate what happened to the bluebuck, and even potentially bring it back.

So, I was reading about the bluebuck, and apparently there are only seven actual preserved bits of them in museums across Europe. But get this – none of them are complete! Every single one is missing something, which is kinda sad, honestly.

Colossal believes they have usable DNA that allows them to position the bluebuck within the evolutionary family tree of other African antelopes, bringing the possibility of recreating the species closer to reality. They report significant advancements in the program as well.

It’s unclear when the bluebuck will be added to their de-extinction efforts, which currently focus on bringing back species like Woolly Mammoths, Thylacines, Dodos, and Moas.

A young girl in England, age 10, became an internet sensation after saving a rare Mexican axolotl while in Wales. Her family is now caring for the axolotl as a pet.

Read More

2026-05-01 15:48