dire wolf siblings Romulus and Remus Reach New Pack Milestones as They Mature
Two of the first modern-era dire wolves born in late 2024 have moved out of the puppy phase and into active pack life, care staff say. The males, Romulus and Remus, born Oct. 1, 2024 (ET), are now roughly 16 months old and have begun to show hunting proficiency, developing social bonds and distinct physical differences that influence how they move and interact on the landscape. They share their preserve with a younger female, Khaleesi, born in January 2025 (ET).
Growing into the hunt
Handlers describe the pair as still filling out—full physical maturity is not expected until around three years of age—but already demonstrating marked progress in hunting and feeding behaviour. Recent supervised feedings allowed Romulus and Remus to dine on a deer carcass for the first time, a notable step from earlier practice runs and the capture of small prey such as rodents and rabbits that enter their enclosure.
Those practice hunts have helped the brothers refine pursuit skills, while killing technique and coordinated pack strategies remain works in progress. Care staff note differences in build that affect how each male approaches movement and prey: Romulus appears broader and stockier, while Remus is taller and lankier. Those variations shape chase dynamics and how the two divide effort when engaging live prey during supervised training sessions.
Pack dynamics and safety
The trio is being observed as a developing pack, with caretakers documenting play, testing of social bonds and hierarchy formation during supervised interactions. The preserve, spanning more than 2, 000 acres, gives the animals room to hone pursuit skills and learn territorial behavior while enabling staff to maintain safety and oversight.
Handlers stress that familiarity with routine feeding makes the animals tolerant of human presence, but the wolves retain strong wild predatory instincts. "They are wolf, " said Paige McNickle, manager of animal husbandry. She cautioned that sudden movement or unfamiliar stimuli in the enclosure would trigger pursuit and a rapid, predatory response. Care protocols remain strict: all interactions are controlled, and staff follow procedures designed to minimize risk while supporting natural behaviors.
What comes next
The team plans continued monitoring of growth, hunting proficiency and social structure as the animals age toward adulthood. Bringing multiple individuals together is part of a longer-term effort to study natural behaviors in a managed habitat and to work toward establishing a breeding population over time. More pups are reportedly in development as part of that plan.
For now, the focus is practical and welfare-driven: measured feeding, controlled social introductions and steady progression toward independence within the pack. Observers will track how hunting techniques and group coordination develop, and how individual physical differences shape the roles animals take within the pack. Those observations are expected to inform future husbandry decisions and the broader effort to understand how reconstructed or closely revived species behave in large, semi-natural areas.
As Romulus, Remus and Khaleesi mature, their progress will be watched both for animal welfare and for insights into the potential of species revival work to recreate ecological functions. Care staff emphasize that despite growing tolerance of familiar handlers, these animals are not domesticated pets and must be treated as large wild canids with the instincts and capacities that status entails.
