Thylacine

## Tylacinus

A photo of Benjamin, the last Thylacine. Taken in 1933

The Thylacine, of the genus *Thylacinus*, also known as the Tasmanian tiger/wolf is an extinct genus of marsupials that lived in Australia and went extinct in 1936, or possibly in the 1980s-2000s.

## Description

Thylacines are small wolf-like marsupials with long limbs and a long snout. Unlike most mammals, Thylacines had long tails that were not bushy, like wolfs. Thylacines are known for their colouration, which is a light brown that fades into a dark beige on their bellies and backs. At the base of the neck starts small rows of strips which gradually grow and stretch down to the base of the tail and face. The stripes are largest st the hips, and fade into a dark brown on the tail. Thylacine females have expandable pouches between their legs, to protect their pups. Thylacines have slender snouts, big ears and sharp canines.

Thylacines are the largest known carnivorous marsupials.

## Extinction

The thylacine went extinct in both Tasmania and Australia for many reasons. The first reason my have been hunting and competition with other species. Governments payed for Thylacine individuals. Since thylacines were driven to livestock, farmers would often find and kill thylacines who were attempting to eat their animals. The last male individual, Benjamin, died in Hobart Zoo in September 7, 1935.

In 2021, It was proposed thylacines went extinct during the 1980s to the early 2000s based on no less than 1200 sightings documented. This suggests the species survived in the Australian wilderness, It is estimated they went extinct from the 1980s to present day, although the 1990s to the early 2000s is most likely. They state it may be possibly *T. cynocephalus* persists.

### De-extinction

Thylacine specimens are saved in labs in the effort that someday the genus could be cloned, and saved from extinction. No public advancements on this project have been made, or announced.

## Species

* †*T. cynocephalus* (thylacine)
* †*T. macknessi*
* †*T. megiriani*
* †*T. potens*
* †*T. yorkellus*

## Synonyms

* *Didelphis cynocephala*
* *Dasyurus cynocephalus*
* *T. harrisii*
* *Dasyurus lucocephalus*
* *T. striatus*
* *T. communis*
* *T. breviceps*
* *T. rostralis*

## Cryptozoology

From 1936-1998, 203 unconfirmed sightings of the Thylacine were reported to the Department of Conservation and Land Management. Because of the sightings (one of which observed an individual for three minutes), the Tasmanian government sent and funded a year long search for the animal. Several images of animals reported to be the Thylacine were released, but nothing on the conservation status has been released. Since September 7, 1936, the topic of confirming the continued existence of the Thylacine has been a topic of interest in the cryptozoology community. One sighting noted a carcass of a Thylacine, claiming it was a couple months old, but once assessed was determined 4,500 years old. The carcass has not been reassessed.

## Gallery

### Reconstructions

Many thylacine individuals.Thylacine family. **Credit: CherishLoveArt on DeviantArt.**
### Specimens

Thylacine embryosThylacine embryosThylacine pupPoached ThylacineA mummified thylacine, found in a Nullarbor cave .
### Videos

Never-before-seen footage from 1935 shows extinct Tasmanian tigerNew footage of a Tasmanian Tiger has been discovered.Thylacine - IN COLOURRestored footage released by NFSA on National Threatened Species Day, 2021.

## References

* https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thylacine
* http://www.naturalworlds.org/thylacine/index.htm
* https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thylacinidae

1. ↑ https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2021.01.18.427214v1
2. ↑ https://twitter.com/Dr\_Rob\_Davis/status/1330032788108611587