After the dire wolf, scientist want to 'resurrect' the tallest bird that ever lived. Is it possible?

In an ambitious new initiative, the extinct South Island giant moa — a towering, flightless bird that once roamed New Zealand’s forests — is the latest subject of a high-profile genetic revival project led by Texas-based biotechnology firm Colossal Biosciences.

The company has officially announced that it is working to genetically engineer modern birds to resemble this extinct species, which stood up to 12 feet (3.6 metres) tall and is considered the tallest bird known to have existed.

Colossal’s effort to recreate the moa is being backed by filmmaker Peter Jackson and his partner Fran Walsh, who have jointly invested $15 million into the venture.

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Jackson, whose deep fascination with the moa predates the partnership, owns what is believed to be one of the most comprehensive private collections of moa bones.

These remains, many of which he legally acquired from private lands in New Zealand, number between 300 and 400 individual specimens.

“The movies are my day job, and the moa are my fun thing I do,” said Jackson. “Every New Zealand schoolchild has a fascination with the moa.”

This latest project is being conducted in partnership with the Ngāi Tahu Research Centre at the University of Canterbury, which brings Indigenous knowledge and cultural insight into the scientific process.

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Māori archaeologist Kyle Davis, who works with the centre and is a moa bone expert, noted that the collaboration is sparking renewed interest in ancestral history and oral traditions, reported AP.

“Our earliest ancestors in this place lived alongside moa and our records, both archaeological and oral, contain knowledge about these birds and their environs. We relish the prospect of bringing that into dialogue with Colossal’s cutting-edge science as part of a bold vision for ecological restoration,” Davis said.

Inside the science: How the de-extinction process will work

Colossal’s approach begins with extracting DNA from fossilised moa remains. The company’s chief scientist, Beth Shapiro, in an interview with New Scientist, explained that the first stage is to identify remains with DNA preserved well enough to be sequenced.

Once viable DNA fragments are located, they will be compared with the genomes of living birds — especially the tinamou and emu — which are considered the moa’s closest surviving relatives.

The comparison will allow scientists to identify key genetic markers that distinguished the moa from other avian species.

“To figure out what it is that made the moa unique compared to other birds,” Shapiro explained, researchers will zero in on the DNA sequences responsible for size, structure, and other physical traits.

Once these genes are identified, the plan is to insert them into the genomes of tinamou or emu using the CRISPR gene-editing tool.

Shapiro outlined how this work differs significantly from projects involving mammals, like the woolly mammoth. Bird embryos develop inside eggs rather than through live birth, making the reproductive aspect of the experiment substantially more complex.

Surrogate birds — likely emus or tinamous — would be used to incubate the genetically modified embryos and hatch the engineered offspring.

“There’s lots of different scientific hurdles that need to be overcome with any species that we pick as a candidate for de-extinction,” she said. “We are in the very early stages.”

Colossal has previously followed a similar methodology in other projects. For example, they used ancient DNA samples from dire wolves to identify differences from modern gray wolves.

They then genetically modified gray wolf cells at 20 different locations in the genome, resulting in pups that had long white fur and more robust jaws — traits commonly associated with dire wolves.

However, it remains clear from the company’s own statements that these efforts do not aim to recreate exact replicas of extinct animals. “It’s not possible to bring something back that is identical to a species that used to be alive,” Shapiro clarified in an earlier interview.

She added that what Colossal is creating are animals that closely resemble their extinct counterparts in appearance and function — not clones or perfect reconstructions.

Not everyone on board

While Colossal’s announcement has generated widespread excitement, it has also drawn serious criticism from ecologists and zoologists.

Many argue that the label “de-extinction” is misleading and suggest that the effort is more about producing aesthetic replicas than restoring a lost species in full ecological or evolutionary context.

Philip Seddon, a zoology professor at the University of Otago, offered a pointed critique, telling New Zealand’s Science Media Center (NZSMC), “There is no current genetic engineering pathway that can truly restore a lost species, especially one missing from its ecological and evolutionary context for hundreds of years. Any end result will not, cannot be, a moa — a unique treasure created through millennia of adaptation and change.”

This is not the first time Colossal has faced such backlash. Earlier this year, the company claimed it had successfully resurrected the dire wolf.

But scrutiny revealed that what had been created were actually gray wolves genetically altered to mimic some physical features of dire wolves.

“Despite Colossal Biosciences’ eventual reframing of dire wolf de-extinction as actually creating an ecological replacement using a genetically modified grey wolf, there is no hint in their recent press release that the best we can hope for is an ecological replacement for a New Zealand moa,” said Seddon.

Other scientists question whether it is ethically or ecologically viable to release genetically engineered animals into modern habitats.

AP quoted Duke University ecologist Stuart Pimm who warned about the practical implications: “Can you put a species back into the wild once you’ve exterminated it there? I think it’s exceedingly unlikely that they could do this in any meaningful way.”

He also expressed concerns over the potential risks posed by such a large and powerful bird, calling it “an extremely dangerous animal.”

In response to such criticisms, Colossal argues that their work can aid in biodiversity restoration. The company claims that reviving extinct species — or at least functional analogues — can reintroduce important ecological roles that were lost when those animals disappeared.

They also suggest that gene-editing technologies developed through de-extinction projects may help endangered species by improving genetic diversity and resistance to disease.

A symbolic species in New Zealand

The moa, part of the ratite group of flightless birds, roamed New Zealand’s terrain for nearly 4,000 years before going extinct. The species vanished roughly six centuries ago, following the arrival of early Polynesian settlers and sustained overhunting.

Today, most of what is known about the moa comes from archaeological discoveries, fossil records, and Māori oral histories. At sites such as Pyramid Valley, moa remains lie alongside centuries-old rock art depicting the birds before their extinction.

The creature’s immense size and dramatic disappearance sparked global interest as far back as the 19th century.

For many in New Zealand, the moa is more than a scientific curiosity — it is a national icon interwoven into cultural heritage. The collaboration between Colossal and the Ngāi Tahu Research Centre is not merely scientific but also cultural, as Māori scholars seek to integrate traditional knowledge with modern genetic research.

Their involvement will help shape the direction of the project, particularly in terms of cultural sensitivity, historical understanding, and future stewardship of any revived creatures.

Even though the final product may never be a true moa in the scientific sense, the project has already rekindled public interest in the species and in New Zealand’s prehistoric past.

For Peter Jackson, the emotional resonance of potentially seeing a living giant moa — even if genetically reimagined — is more fulfilling than any cinematic accomplishment.

“The hope that within a few years, we’ll get to see a moa back again – that gives me more enjoyment and satisfaction than any film ever has,” he said.

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With inputs from agencies