The extinct thylacine, also known as the Tasmanian tiger, was a marsupial* that bore a superficial 
resemblance to a dog. Its most distinguishing feature was the 13- 19 dark brown stripes over its 
back, beginning at the rear of the body and extending onto the tail. The thylacine's average noseto-tail length for adult males was 162.6 cm, compared to 153. 7 cm for females. 
The thylacine appeared to occupy most types of terrain except dense rainforest, with open 
eucalyptus forest thought to be its prime habitat. In terms of feeding, it was exclusively 
carnivorous, and its stomach was muscular with an ability to distend so that it could eat large 
amounts of food at one time, probably an adaptation to compensate for long periods when 
hunting was unsuccessful and food scarce. The thylacine was not a fast runner and probably 
caught its prey by exhausting it during a long pursuit. During long-distance chases, thylacines 
were likely to have relied more on scent than any other sense. They emerged to hunt during the 
evening, night and early morning and tended to retreat to the hills and forest for shelter during the 
day. Despite the common name 'tiger', the thylacine had a shy, nervous temperament. Although 
mainly nocturnal, it was sighted moving during the day and some individuals were even recorded 
basking in the sun. 
The thylacine had an extended breeding season from winter to spring, with indications that 
some breeding took place throughout the year. The thylacine, like all marsupials, was tiny and 
hairless when born. Newborns crawled into the pouch on the belly of their mother, and attached 
themselves to one of the four teats, remaining there for up to three months. When old enough to 
leave the pouch, the young stayed in a lair such as a deep rocky cave, well-hidden nest or hollow 
log, whilst the mother hunted. 
Approximately 4,000 years ago, the thylacine was widespread throughout New Guinea and most 
of mainland Australia, as well as the island of Tasmania. The most recent, well-dated occurrence 
of a thylacine on the mainland is a carbon-dated fossil from Murray Cave in Western Australia, 
which is around 3, 100 years old. Its extinction coincided closely with the arrival of wild dogs 
called dingoes in Australia and a similar predator in New Guinea. Dingoes never reached 
Tasmania, and most scientists see this as the main reason for the thylacine's survival there.The dramatic decline of the thylacine in Tasmania, which began in the 1830s and continued for 
a century, is generally attributed to the relentless efforts of sheep farmers and bounty hunters** 
with shotguns. While this determined campaign undoubtedly played a large part, it is likely that 
various other factors also contributed to the decline and eventual extinction of the species. These 
include competition with wild dogs introduced by European settlers, loss of habitat along with 
the disappearance of prey species, and a distemper-like disease which may also have affected 
the thylacine. 
There was only one successful attempt to breed a thylacine in captivity, at Melbourne Zoo in 
1899. This was despite the large numbers that went through some zoos, particularly London Zoo 
and Tasmania's Hobart Zoo. The famous naturalist John Gould foresaw the thylacine's demise 
when he published his Mammals of Australia between 1848 and 1863, writing, 'The numbers of 
this singular animal will speedily diminish, extermination will have its full sway, and it will then, 
like the wolf of England and Scotland, be recorded as an animal of the past.' 
However, there seems to have been little public pressure to preserve the thylacine, nor was much 
concern expressed by scientists at the decline of this species in the decades that followed. A 
notable exception was T.T. Flynn, Professor of Biology at the University of Tasmania. In 1914, 
he was sufficiently concerned about the scarcity of the thylacine to suggest that some should be 
captured and placed on a small island. But it was not until 1929, with the species on the very edge 
of extinction, that Tasmania's Animals and Birds Protection Board passed a motion protecting 
thylacines only for the month of December, which was thought to be their prime breeding season. 
The last known wild thylacine to be killed was shot by a farmer in the north-east of Tasmania 
in 1930, leaving just captive specimens. Official protection of the species by the Tasmanian 
government was introduced in July 1936, 59 days before the last known individual died in Hobart 
Zoo on 7th September, 1936. 
There have been numerous expeditions and searches for the thylacine over the years, none of 
which has produced definitive evidence that thylacines still exist. The species was declared extinct 
by the Tasmanian government in 1986.estions 1-5 
Complete the notes below. 
Choose ONE WORD ONLY from the passage for each answer. 
Write your answers in boxes 1-5 on your answer sheet. 
The thylacine 
Appearance and behaviour 
• looked rather like a dog 
• had a series of stripes along its body and tail 
• ate an entirely 1 .......................................... diet 
• probably depended mainly on 2 .......................................... when hunting 
• young spent first months of life inside its mother's 3 ......................................... . 
Decline and extinction 
• last evidence in mainland Australia is a 3, 100-year-old 4 ......................................... . 
• probably went extinct in mainland Australia due to animals known as dingoes 
• reduction in 5 .......................................... and available sources of food were partly 
responsible for decline in Tasmania