The bluebuck, an antelope with a silvery slate-blue coat and striking horns, was hunted to extinction by European settlers in South Africa around 1800. Now, Dallas-based Colossal Biosciences plans to bring it back.
Colossal announced the bluebuck as the sixth species in its de-extinction portfolio, joining the dire wolf, woolly mammoth, thylacine, dodo, and moa. The company is two years into the project, focusing on genome editing.
CEO Ben Lamm stated, "We've already completed several foundational steps." The company is editing the genes of the roan antelope, the bluebuck's closest living relative, to reintroduce key bluebuck traits. Once editing is complete, they will create an embryo for implantation into a surrogate roan mother.
Lamm emphasized human responsibility: "European settlers shot the bluebuck out of the Cape in under 34 years. If we have the capability to right that wrong, I think we have an obligation to."
Colossal has already made headlines with the birth of three genetically engineered dire wolf pups in April 2025.
The team used a museum specimen from Stockholm for DNA. Lamm noted that bluebuck and roan genomes are over 98 percent similar. The project also involves creating pluripotent stem cells and advancing reproductive methods in antelopes.