1000+ images about Thylacine on Pinterest | On september, Wolves and Animals Forward The thylacine (or Tasmanian Tiger) was the largest known carnivorous marsupial. Native to continental Australia & Tasmania, it is thought to have become extinct in the 20th century. It had become extremely rare or extinct on the Australian mainland before European settlement, but it survived on the island of Tasmania. Intensive hunting is generally blamed for its extinction. Despite its official classification as extinct, sightings are still reported, though none have been conclusively… See More Is the "Extinct" Thylacine Still Alive? | TMR Is the "Extinct" Thylacine Still Alive? September 06, 2011 By James Clark , Columnist From the Smithsonian Institution archives. It’s not supposed to exist these days but people claim to spot it so often that the thylacine has been called the world’s “most common extinct animal”. The thylacine was always something of a contrary beast.

Also known as the Tasmanian wolf because of its generally wolf-like appearance, and the Tasmanian tiger because of the brown stripes in its fur, it was actually neither a wolf nor a tiger but a marsupial. It lived in three separate locations: on mainland Australia and on the islands of Tasmania and New Guinea. Preferring to hide during the day, it would emerge after dark to hunt kangaroos, wallabies, and wombats, as well as birds and other small creatures. Able to endure long periods when food was scarce, it seemed to be a natural survivor, but by the late 1920s sightings of thylacines in the wild had become extremely rare. The last known thylacine died in captivity 75 years ago this week, and for the half century that followed the species was classified as endangered. When no conclusive evidence for its continued existence had been found by 1982 the International Union for Conservation of Nature declared the species extinct, and the Tasmanian Government followed suit in 1986. Officially, thylacines survived longest on Tasmania, south of the Australian mainland.

During the early 19th century the species was forced to share this island with European farmers who began to settle there in growing numbers. As the farmers increasingly blamed thylacines for attacking their sheep and other livestock, bounty schemes were set up to tackle the predators. Relentless persecution by farmers and hunters - probably combined with other factors such as habitat erosion, disease, and competition with wild dogs introduced by the settlers - devastated the thylacine population. On 6 May 1930, a farmer named Wilf Batty shot an animal that had been killing his poultry, and in doing so earned himself the dubious distinction of being the final man known to have killed a thylacine in the wild. What would prove to be the last known thylacine was captured in 1933 and sent to Tasmania’s Hobart Zoo. This animal later came to be known as “Benjamin” although, ever a source of contrariness, there are arguments over whether this thylacine was ever known by that name while alive, and even over whether Benjamin was male or female!

Benjamin features in what is believed to be the last motion footage of a thylacine, taken in 1933 by the Australian naturalist David Fleay: While Fleay was setting up his photographic equipment in the animal’s enclosure Benjamin padded silently around to his rear. Before the naturalist realised he was in any danger, Benjamin gave him a sharp bite on the buttocks, leaving a scar that Fleay carried with pride for the rest of his life. Benjamin died on 7 September 1936, having been locked out of his (or her) shelter overnight and left exposed to the elements during a particularly severe winter. A decade later, Fleay led an expedition to Tasmania’s west coast region, hoping to find evidence that thylacines still survived in the wild. He failed to capture a live specimen - the only evidence that would have conclusively proved the thylacine’s continued existence- but he did find tracks that could have been made by the animal, and samples of hair and scat that analysis indicated came from a thylacine. Fleay also collected anecdotal evidence from people who claimed to have spotted thylacines. Such reports continue to this day.

Some are highly credible, such as that made on 9 March 1982 by Hans Naarding, a researcher with the Tasmanian National Parks and Wildlife Service. Naarding had taken a nap after parking his Land Rover in a remote forested area of north-west Tasmania, and when he awoke at around 2 a.m. he used his spotlight to scan his surroundings. “As I swept the light beam around,” he reported afterwards, “it came to rest on a large thylacine, standing side-on some six to seven metres distant.” Naarding’s camera was out of reach and so he decided to examine the animal carefully before risking scaring it away. He later said: “It was an adult male in excellent condition with 12 stripes on a sandy coat. Eye reflection was pale yellow. It moved only once, opening its jaw and showing its teeth.” After several minutes of close observation Naarding reached for his camera but the movement disturbed the animal and it disappeared into the undergrowth before he could take a photograph. Naarding’s sighting led to an intensive government-funded search, but no conclusive evidence was found. Not that the lack of proof stopped reports of sightings.

According to evidence compiled by researchers Buck and Joan Emberg there have been some 360 post-extinction sightings of thylacines in Tasmania. The Embergs also report 269 sightings on the Australian mainland, most frequently around southern Victoria. Other estimates are even higher: the Australian Rare Fauna Research Association states that it has more than 3,800 reported sightings from the mainland on file. Some researchers feel that, if the thylacine does still survive, then the most likely location is within the inaccessible and yet-to-be fully explored jungles in the west of the island of New Guinea, to the north of Australia. Fossil evidence shows that the thylacine did once live on this island, albeit a few thousand years ago, and people living there talk about an elusive creature they call the dobsegna. Their description of the creature closely matches that of the thylacine and in the early 1990s researcher Ned Terry travelled to the island’s Baliem Valley where he showed pictures of the thylacine to locals who claimed to have seen the dobsegna. They identified the pictures as showing the creature they had seen.

Bolstered by all the reported sightings, many people are reluctant to give up hope. This apparently includes CITES (the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora), who currently list the thylacine only as “possibly extinct”. Realistically, many reports are likely to be misidentifications of feral dogs or other animals but I hope there are still living thylacines out there somewhere. If there are then let’s pray we’ll eventually be able to document their survival without doing further harm to this remarkable creature. Share this story Unknown Explorers - Thylacine View Artwork Unlike the majority of cryptids the Thylacine, also known as The Tasmanian Tiger, is scientifically documented and cataloged as a real, thought now extinct, creature which lived in Australia up until about 12,000 years ago. The Tasmanian Tiger closely resembled a dog, but was actually a carnivorous marsupial belonging to the same family as the kangaroo and Tasmanian devil. The male Thylacine would reach 6 feet in length from head to tail and weigh upwards of 45 pounds while the females where slightly smaller.

The fur of the Thylacine was coarse and sandy brown until about mid back where distinctive stripes began. These stripes, like those of a tiger, ran down to the tail, which was long, thin, inflexible and did not wag. Like other marsupials the Thylacine had pouches in which they carried their young. The opening of these pouches faced towards the rear of the animal, rather than towards the head, like the Kangaroo. Thylacines often hunted in pairs as they did not boost great run speed, but compensated that with excellent stamina and often exhausted its prey through constant chase. Using powerful elongated jaws with a huge gape that could crush the skulls of its victims the Thylacine hunted many different animals, including the powerful kangaroo. Thylacines showed no fear when cornered, and would often kill several tracking dogs before brought down. The Thylacines normally did not make any sound, though sometimes would make a quick double yip noise, no known recording of this noise exists. Thylacines were primarily nocturnal animals and little is known about their social habits.

From shot and captured specimens it seems that a typical Thylacine litter was 3 or 4 pups which spent the early portion of there lives in the mothers pouch. Thylacines that were captured alive and put into captivity often died quickly, but some survived up to 13 years. They did not make great attractions at the zoos, caged Thylacines often where very sluggish and did not respond to affection from their human caretakers. The Thylacine remained the dominate predator in Australia until the faster dingo appeared on the Australian mainland. It did not take long for the dingo to decimate the Thylacine population, with the only surviving members of the species being left on the island of Tasmania. When farmers moved to Tasmania in the early 1800s, the Thylacines began to kill prey on the livestock of these farmers and where seen as nothing more than pests. These livestock killings lead to a systematic slaughter of the Thylacines, with bounties being rewarded for each scalp turned in. By the early 1900s Thylacines were rare creatures, and the last scalp bounty was paid in 1909.

The last reported killing of a Tasmanian Tiger was in 1930. The Thylacine was given protected status in 1933, but by that time it was too late, the last Thylacine found alive was captured and sent to the Hobart Domain Zoo just two months after the rare animal became a protected species. This last Thylacine, named Benjamin, died on September 7, 1936 after just 3 years in captivity. The people of Australia and Tasmania mourned the loss of the last Tasmanian Tiger, and placed the now extinct animal on its official Coat of Arms. But was Benjamin the last of the Thylacine? Soon after Benjamin's death, reports of Thylacine sightings came in from the mountains of northwestern Tasmania. Australia's Animals and Birds Protection Board sent an investigative team into the area but all they came back with were some interesting reports from the inhabitants of the area. Interest was high and another expedition that was sent in 1938 found the first evidence of living Thylacines, footprints that were positively identified as belonging to Thylacines.

After this expedition, World War II intervened and the next expedition did not take place until 1945. This privately funded expedition found Thylacine footprints and collected more sighting reports. In 1957 zoologist Eric R. Guiler, chairman of the Animals and Birds Protection Board, went to Broadmarsh to investigate the killing of some sheep by an unknown predator. Tracks were found that were identified as Thylacine prints. But no Thylacine where found. Several more expeditions followed between 1957 and 1966, but these produced only more footprints and more reports of sightings from the local residents. In 1968 the Tasmania Tiger Center was established, to which people could report their Thylacine sightings. Expeditions continued to beat the brush in the wild lands of Tasmania searching for a remnant population of Thylacines. In the 1970s the World Wildlife Fund set up several automatic camera units at locations where sightings of the Thylacine were often concentrated. Bait was set and infrared beams were used to trigger the cameras, sadly the project ended with failure in 1980, no Thylacines were captured on film.

In his official report, project leader Steven J. Smith of the National Parks and Wildlife Service, NPWS, stated his view that the Thylacines is extinct. Zoologist Eric Guiler later set up his own hidden camera operation, but this attempt to capture a living Thylacine on film also ended in failure. Despite the lack of photographic evidence the number of reported sightings shot up between 1970 and 1980, 104 documented sightings total. This gave investigators new hope of finding the Thylacines still surviving in the more remote areas of Tasmania. Reports of living Thylacines also began to come in from southwestern Western Australia, which was very strange as the Thylacines were eliminated from mainland Australia thousands of years ago. On a rainy night in March of 1982 a NPWS park ranger was sleeping in the back seat of his car when something woke him up. He turned on his spotlight and turned it onto an animal about 20 feet away.

The ranger reported what he saw was a Thylacine, "an adult male in excellent condition, with 12 black stripes on a sandy coat." The creature quickly ran off into near by brush, its footprints and all other evidence washed away by the rain. In order to keep people from going to the area of this sighting and disturbing a possible habitat of the last living Thylacines, the NPWS kept this report from the public until January 1984. This sighting did not prove the existence of living Thylacines to the government's satisfaction though, and no official statement was issued. Following the rash of Thylacine sightings in Western Australia, the state's Agricultural Protection Board sent Kevin Cameron, a tracker of aboriginal descent, to investigate. Soon Cameron reported that he himself sighted and identified a living Thylacine in Western Australia, but again a simple sighting was not proof enough. Then in 1985 Cameron produced pictures that he claimed where taken of a living Thylacine, along with casts of Thylacine footprints. The pictures showed a dog like animal burrowing at the base of the tree.

The head was hidden from view, but its striped back and stiff tail strongly implied that it was a Thylacine. As these pictures began to spread around the scientific community suspicions began to arise. Cameron would not say where he took the pictures, and would not give permission to have the pictures reproduced for publication. Eventually agreeing, the pictures were presented to zoologist Athol M. Douglas at the Western Australian Museum in Perth. Cameron accompanied Douglas to a photographic laboratory while he made enlargements. Douglas would later report: "When I saw the negatives, I realized Cameron's account with regard to the photographs was inaccurate. The film had been cut, frames were missing, and the photos were taken from different angles, making it impossible for the series to have been taken in 20 or 30 seconds, as Cameron had stated. Furthermore, in one negative, there was the shadow of another person pointing what could be a 12 gauge shotgun; Cameron stated that he had been alone. It would have been practically impossible for an animal as alert as a Thylacine to remain stationary for so long while human activity was going on in its vicinity.

In addition, it is significant that the animal's head does not appear in any of the photographs." The story and pictures were released in the New Scientist magazine, and its readers were soon criticizing the authenticity of the photographs. They pointed out that the animal seemed to stay dead still from photograph to photograph. And they realized by the differing lengths of the shadows that the pictures were taken over at least an hour. It would seem that the pictures were a hoax, and the specimen was a stuffed Thylacine. But the first picture, the one that showed the shadow of a person holding a gun aimed at the Thylacine, was omitted from the New Scientist story. Douglas feels that, "The full frame of this negative is the one which shows the shadow of the man with a rigid gun like object pointing in the direction of the Thylacine at the base of the tree. This shadow was deliberately excluded in the photos published in New Scientist.

If I am correct in this supposition, the Thylacine was alive when the first photo was taken, but had been dead, and frozen in rigor mortis, for several hours by the time the second photograph was taken." Douglas hoped that the carcass would surface, but that is doubtful since shooting a Thylacine is punishable by a $5000 fine and Cameron was not being helpful in shedding any further light on it. Either it was a hoax using a stuffed Thylacine, or a living Thylacine was shot, then frozen and later used to take photographs. The fact that the head is not in any of the photographs may be because the animal was shot in the head, if they were using a stuffed Thylacine, then why hide the head? In 1966 an expedition from the Western Australia Museum found a Thylacine carcass in a cave near Mundrabilla Station. Carbon dating showed the carcass to be 4,500 years old, but that method of dating may be invalid since the body had been soaking in groundwater.

Zoologist Athol Douglas reported that along with the Thylacine carcass, they also found a dingo carcass and that the dingo carcass was much more deteriorated than the Thylacine carcass. Douglas gave his opinion that the dingo carcass was not older than 20 years, and that the Thylacine carcass was not older than a year. But since the carbon dating argues against a recent death of this Thylacine, official proof of surviving Thylacines still does not exist. Cryptozoological investigator Rex Gilroy has collected various reports of Thylacine sightings from over a wide area of the rugged eastern Australian mountain ranges, from far north Queensland through New South Wales to eastern Victoria. Casts of footprints found in those areas have been verified as Thylacine prints. Gilroy even claims to have seen a Thylacine himself. Diving at night with a friend along a highway towards the Blue Mountains west of Sydney, something dashed out of the scrub along the highway and ran in front of them. It then stopped and stared back at the headlights for a few seconds before running off into the scrub, towards Grose Valley.

It was "almost the size of a full grown Alsatian dog, with fawn-colored fur and a row of blackish stripes. I have no doubt that it was a Thylacine; its appearance matched that of stuffed specimens preserved in Government museums." Another Park Ranger reported seeing a Thylacine in 1990. Ranger Peter Simon was in the Namadgi-Kosciusco National Park along the New South Wales Victoria border when he saw what he identified as a Thylacine in broad daylight at a range of 100 feet. After Peter Simon published an article on his sighting and the Thylacine mystery in The Age magazine, he received many cards and letters from Victoria residents who also claimed to have seen Thylacines. Peter Simon said that the reports were so consistent that they, ï¿½left me in no doubt that each had seen something unusual and broadly consistent with the appearance of a Thylacine." Australian writer Tony Healy reported that on the day before Ranger Peter Simon was to have his encounter with a Thylacine, his hunting dogs refused to leave a truck that they were being transported in after they heard strange harsh panting sounds in the brush nearby.

At a Benedictine monastery named New Hoacia, the secretary to the Abbot, Tony James, walked into a room early in the morning and saw a Thylacine, "We both froze, and he looked at me, in quite a fearless way, and I sense that he was just simply filled with curiosity at the sighting." The animal fled. Tony feels that perhaps the animal was feeding off the table scraps that were usually left out for the magpies every morning. Another member of the monastery also reported seeing an animal that fit the description of a Thylacine while driving from the monastery. To this day sightings of the Tasmanian Tiger, though rare, are still being reported. Being such a unique looking creature it would be difficult to mistake the Thylacine for any other creature known to live on the island of Tasmania, ruling out mistaken identity as the explanation for these sightings. What we are left with is a compelling story of survival, one that would suggest an animal once thought to be extinct, could still be roaming the country side of Tasmania. The Evidence There is no solid physical evidence that would suggest that the Thylacine still exists.

Still, a debatable carcass, footprint molds and eye witness reports are enough to keep us believing that perhaps this unique creature is still alive, in small numbers, waiting to make a come back. The Sightings In 1957 zoologist Eric R. Guiler, chairman of the Animals and Birds Protection Board, went to Broadmarsh to investigate the killing of some sheep by an unknown predator. Tracks were found that were identified as Thylacine prints. March of 1982 a NPWS park ranger was sleeping in the back seat of his car when something woke him up. He turned on his spotlight and turned it onto an animal about 20 feet away. The ranger reported what he saw was a Thylacine, "an adult male in excellent condition, with 12 black stripes on a sandy coat." The creature quickly ran off into near by brush. In 1982 a Western Australian farming couple claimed to have lost livestock to Thylacine predation. In 1985, Kevin Cameron, a tracker of aboriginal descent, produced pictures that he claimed where taken of a living Thylacine. He also proved casts of Thylacine footprints.

The pictures showed a dog like animal burrowing at the base of the tree. The head was hidden from view, but its striped back and stiff tail strongly implied that it was a Thylacine. These pictures have been the subject of much debate but are widely believed to be fakes. In 1966, an expedition from the Western Australia Museum found a Thylacine carcass in a cave near Mundrabilla Station. Carbon dating showed the carcass to be 4,500 years old, but that method of dating may be invalid since the body had been soaking in groundwater. Zoologist Athol Douglas reported that along with the Thylacine carcass, they also found a dingo carcass and that the dingo carcass was much more deteriorated than the Thylacine carcass. Douglas gave his opinion that the dingo carcass was not older than 20 years, and that the Thylacine carcass was not older than a year. But since the carbon dating argues against a recent death of this Thylacine, official proof of surviving Thylacines still does not exist.

In 1982 a Western Australian farming couple claimed to have lost livestock to Thylacine predation. In 1990, Ranger Peter Simon was in the Namadgi-Kosciusco National Park along the New South Wales Victoria border when he saw what he identified as a Thylacine in broad daylight at a range of 100 feet. The Stats - (Where applicable) ï¿½ Size: Up to 6 Feet From Nose To Tail ï¿½ Weight: About 45 ï¿½ 55 Pounds ï¿½ Diet: Carnivorous, manly Kangaroos, Wallabies, Wombats and Birds ï¿½ Location: The Island of Tasmania, and Isolated Reports From Western Australia ï¿½ Movement: Walking Thylacine videos, photos and facts - Thylacinus cynocephalus | ARKive Top Thylacine biology Very few observational studies were carried out on wild or captive thylacines; we therefore know very little about their natural ecology and behaviour (4) .

These carnivores are reported to have been mainly solitary and nocturnal (5) , although small groups probably consisting of a mother and her offspring have been reported (4) . Due to conflicting reports, there is some controversy as to whether breeding occurred more often in the summer or winter. Litters of up to four young were possible due to the four teats within the female's backwards-opening pouch (4) . Young remained in the pouch for around four months (3) and then were probably left in a den whilst the mother went on hunting forays; the young may have joined her on these trips when they were older (2) . Thylacines were carnivorous and are likely to have preyed upon kangaroos, small rodents and birds (5) . Some reports suggest that these mammals hunted by pursuing their prey over great distances until it tired (4) . Thylacines became notorious for killing sheep once European settlers began to farm, a factor that was at the forefront of their persecution. The thylacine is reported to have a fairly stiff gait, but is also believed to have been an agile animal and had been seen standing on its hind legs, supported by its tail in a manner resembling a kangaroo (4) .

Top Thylacine range The thylacine once ranged throughout Tasmania, mainland Australia and Papua New Guinea, although it may have been lost from the latter two locations more than 2,000 years ago (2) . It was still widespread in Tasmania at the time of European colonisation but by the early 20th Century had been massively reduced, and in 1930 the last recorded killing of a wild individual occurred (1) . The last captive thylacine (known as Benjamin) persisted in Hobart Zoo until 1936, and despite a number of unsubstantiated sightings, the species is now believed to be extinct (4) . Top Thylacine threats There is still no conclusive evidence as to what caused the disappearance of the thylacine from mainland Australia, although competition with introduced Asian dogs (dingos) is widely believed to have played a part (4) . On the island of Tasmania (where there are no dingos) the thylacine was persecuted to extinction by a long-running eradication campaign (4) . The species was widely blamed for many sheep attacks and by the mid 1800s was extensively hunted (4) .

Between 1888 and 1909, the Tasmanian Government paid bounty for 2,184 thylacine skins (7) , although it is likely that the actual number killed during this time was many more. By the early 1900s, thylacines were noticeably rare and the last reported killing occurred in 1930 (1) . Other factors such as habitat loss, disease and competition with feral dogs all helped to send this remarkable animal to extinction (5) . Top Thylacine conservation In 1938, the thylacine became protected by Tasmanian law and in 1966 a game reserve was proposed (but not enforced) on Maria Island off the east coast of Tasmania, which would have protected any thylacines should they have been captured (3) . Unconfirmed sightings of this fascinating marsupial continue to this day, but numerous searches have provided no concrete evidence that the species still exists (6) .

The UK’s International Thylacine Specimen Database (ITSD), which was released on CD-ROM in April 2005, is a project that has endeavoured to catalogue and digitally photograph (where possible) all known surviving specimen material held within museum, university and private collections around the world. It comprises skins, skeletons, skulls, taxidermy mounts and wet specimens. Wet specimens include four adults preserved in alcohol and ten thylacine pups. The ITSD has been designed as a free access academic tool to promote and facilitate undergraduate and postgraduate research into the species, and helps to forever preserve what little is left (8) . Such resources not only facilitate research into this extinct animal, but also serve as an important reminder of the fate that awaits many of our endangered species in the future, should we not do more to protect them now. The thylacine is still an important part of the Tasmanian national conscience and recent talks of the possibility of cloning an animal from DNA preserved in a specimen held at the Australian Museum has sparked massive debate (6) . The practicalities of cloning however, and the ethical decisions involved, mean that this possibility is a very long way from becoming a reality (6) .

Tuvalu 2011 Endangered & Extinct #1 - Tasmanian Tiger, Wolf or Thylacine $1 Pure Silver Dollar Proof with Color - Talisman Coins Tuvalu 2011 Endangered & Extinct #1 - Tasmanian Tiger, Wolf or Thylacine $1 Pure Silver Dollar Proof with Color Price: $399.95 $249.95 Product Description Preserve this extinct, carnivorous marsupial with this handsome, frosted cameo silver proof with color! It was a very sad day for our planet when, on September 7th, 1936, the last Tasmanian Tiger died of neglect at the Hobart Zoo. This large, striped, carnivorous marsupial was the apex predator in both Australian and Tasmania for untold generations; today, nothing remains of this truly remarkable creature except a few short, black and white movies, a few grainy photographs, and a few stuffed skins. In the name of wildlife preservation, we invite you to remember the 75th anniversary of the demise of an entire species with this pure silver dollar , with a full-color portrait of an adult thylacine and its cub by wildlife artist Rod Scott.

Click here for more coins featuring extinct or endangered animals! Tasmanian Wolf / Tasmanian Tiger The thylacine (Thylacinus cynocephalus; Greek for "dog-headed pouched one") was the largest known carnivorous marsupial of modern times. It is commonly known as the Tasmanian Tiger (because of its striped back), the Tasmanian Wolf, and colloquially the Tassie tiger. Native to continental Australia, Tasmania and New Guinea, it became extinct in the 20th century. It was the last extant member of its genus, Thylacinus. The Tasmanian tiger resembled a large, short-haired dog with a stiff tail which smoothly extended from the body in a way similar to that of a kangaroo. Its yellow-brown coat featured 13 to 21 distinctive dark stripes across its back, rump and the base of its tail, which earned the animal the nickname "tiger". The thylacine was able to open its jaws to an unusual extent: up to 120 degrees. Its jaws were muscular and powerful, with 46 teeth.

Like the tigers and wolves of the Northern Hemisphere, from which it obtained two of its common names, the thylacine was an apex predator. As a marsupial, it was not closely related to these placental mammals, but because of convergent evolution it displayed the same general form and adaptations. Its closest living relative is thought to be either the Tasmanian Devil or the numbat. The Tasmanian tiger had become extremely rare or extinct on the Australian mainland before European settlement of the continent, but it survived on the island state of Tasmania along with several other endemic species, including the Tasmanian devil. Intensive hunting encouraged by bounties is generally blamed for its extinction, but other contributory factors may have been disease, the introduction of dogs, and human encroachment into its habitat. Despite its official classification as extinct, sightings are still reported, though none proven. The last known Tasmanian tiger lived in the Hobart Zoo, on Tasmania. Nicknamed "Benjamin", this thylacine died on 7 September 1936. It is believed to have died as the result of neglect.

It was locked out of its sheltered sleeping quarters and exposed to a rare occurrence of extreme Tasmanian weather: extreme heat during the day and freezing temperatures at night. Ironically, official protection of the species by the Tasmanian government was introduced on 10 July 1936, 59 days before Benjamin died in captivity. Please see the presentation lower on this page for more information about Tuvalu and its association with Australia. Click here for more coins featuring extinct or endangered animals! Investment Note The Tasmanian Tiger is the first release in the new Endangered & Extinct series from the Perth Mint. Like all the releases in the Deadly & Dangerous series , this new issue sold out in record time, and so stands to increase significantly in value. Given the theme or topic of these coins as well as the woefully inadequate mintage limit of only 5,000 per release, it's only natural that collectors, investors and speculators have flocked to these beautiful coins and driven the prices skyward! Click here for other beautiful silver dollars! Technology Note The Perth Mint of Australia employs its own proprietary colorization technology, in which the color is actually sealed on the coin.

The vibrant hues and precise execution of the technology create a stunning, full-color portrait on each coin. Click here for other great colored coins! Obverse A full color, naturalistic portrait of an adult thylacine (Tasmanian Tiger) with its cub, in the remote wilderness of Tasmanian, by wildlife artist Rod Scott. The legend TASMANIAN TIGER defines the theme. Reverse Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II of England, in crowned profile facing right. This portrait, featuring Her Majesty wearing a tiara and pearl drop earrings, was executed by the sculptor Raphael Maklouf. The legend QUEEN ELIZABETH II, the date of issue and denomination also appear, while the legend 1 OZ 999 SILVER guarantees the weight and purity. Click here for more great pure silver coins! Packaging The coin is encapsulated inside an elegant, luxury presentation case made of highly polished wood with black velvet and satin interior, and protected by a full-color outer box. An individually-numbered certificate of authenticity is included.

Thylacinus cynocephalus (Tasmanian Tiger, Tasmanian Wolf, Thylacine) Home » Thylacinus cynocephalus (Tasmanian Tiger, Tasmanian Wolf, Thylacine) Thylacinus cynocephalus Thylacine, Tasmanian Tiger, Tasmanian Wolf French Lobo de Tasamania, Lobo Marsupial Taxonomic Notes: No subspecies are recognised. Andrew, D., Jones, M., Mooney, N. & Rounsevell, D. Justification: The last known Thylacine died in Hobart Zoo in 1936. Despite numerous, including contemporary, reports of its existence, and several organised searches (e.g. Smith 1980; see SEWPaC 2012), there has been no irrefutable evidence of its survival.

Previously published Red List assessments: 2008 – Extinct (EX) Geographic Range [top] Range Description: The Thylacine was once found in New Guinea and was widespread on the Australian mainland, but disappeared from the latter by at least 2000 years ago, probably because of predation by and competition from the Dingo Canis lupus (Johnson 2006). In modern times it was known only from Tasmania, which was isolated from the Australian mainland c. 8000 – 10 000 years ago, before the arrival of the Dingo on the mainland. It was widespread in Tasmania, but most abundant in open forest and woodland (Guiler 1985; Paddle 2000). It occurred in most habitat types from low (east) to high (north-west) rainfall but at low densities in the south-west where rainfall is very high, soil fertility is very low, and vegetation is hummock grassland (button grass), wet scrub, or wet forest. Countries occurrence: ♦ Estimated area of occupancy (AOO) - km2: 0 This species is presumed to be extinct.

Additional data: Habitat and Ecology [top] Habitat and Ecology: Thylacines occurred in most habitats in Tasmania, but apparently not the dense temperate rainforests of the south-west (Flannery and Schouten 2001). The Thylacine apparently located its prey by scent and hunted mainly at night, singly or in pairs. Its main food items were reported to be kangaroos and wallabies. Lairs were often located among rocks but litters were discovered amongst dense vegetation.

Systems: Threats [top] Major Threat(s): There was extensive persecution of the Thylacine because of perceived threat to sheep and fear of a large predator (Mooney and Rounsevell 2008); in latter years collecting by museums and zoos was a major reason for hunting; single-species ‘population viability analysis’ models are unable to account for the Thylacine’s demise unless a high human harvest, small starting population size or low maximum population growth rate was assumed, even if disease effects were included from 1906 to 1909, however, the Thylacine's demise is readily recreated using the disease-free multi-species metamodels that simulated declines in native prey populations (particularly due to competition with introduced sheep) (Prowse et al. 2013). Conservation Actions [top] Conservation Actions: In 1936, the Thylacine received legal protection under Tasmanian law, although it was probably already extinct (Mooney and Rounsevell 2008).

In 1966, a 647,000 ha game reserve was set up in south-western Tasmania, partly to protect any animals possibly remaining in the area. Currently there are no conservation measures pertaining to this species as it is presumed extinct. It is listed on CITES Appendix I. Citation: Burbidge, A.A. & Woinarski, J. 2016. Thylacinus cynocephalus. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2016: e.T21866A21949291. . Downloaded on 18 January 2017. Disclaimer: thylacine | extinct marsupial | Britannica.com extinct marsupial Alternative Titles: marsupial wolf, Tasmanian tiger, Tasmanian wolf, Thylacinus cynocephalus Related Topics vertebrate Thylacine (Thylacinus cynocephalus), also called marsupial wolf, Tasmanian tiger, or Tasmanian wolf, largest carnivorous marsupial of recent times, presumed extinct soon after the last captive individual died in 1936.

A slender fox-faced animal that hunted at night for wallabies and birds, the thylacine was 100 to 130 cm (39 to 51 inches) long, including its 50- to 65-cm (20- to 26-inch) tail. Weight ranged from 15 to 30 kg (33 to 66 pounds), but about 25 kg was average. The fur was yellowish brown, with 13 to 19 dark bars on the back and rump. The hind legs were longer than the forelegs, and the tail was very thick at the base, tapering evenly to a point. The skull was remarkably similar to that of a dog but had characteristics diagnostic of a marsupial. Other differences include a smaller braincase and jaws with an enormous, almost 90-degree gape. In a shallow pouch that opened rearward, the female carried two to four young at a time. Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. The thylacine had been found on the Australian mainland and New Guinea and was confined to Tasmania only in historic times.

Competition with the dingo probably led to its disappearance from the mainland. It was widely hunted in Tasmania by European settlers because it was considered a threat to the domestic sheep introduced to the island. It was rare by 1914, and the last known living specimen died in a private zoo in Hobart in 1936; its disappearance from the wild came perhaps two years later. The thylacine was the sole modern representative of the family Thylacinidae, which is known otherwise by several fossil species. Mounted thylacine (Thylacinus cynocephalus) specimen at the Natural History Museum … L. Shyamal Although there have been hundreds of reports of thylacine sightings in Tasmania and mainland Australia since the late 1930s, each one was judged to be inconclusive. In addition, several population surveys conducted by naturalists and wildlife officials between 1937 and 1993 failed to observe a single specimen.

Learn More in these related articles: Thylacine T Thylacine The Thylacine (pronounced /ˈθaɪləsaɪn/, or in Australia /ˈθaɪləsiːn/, also /ˈθaɪləsɨn/) (binomial name: Thylacinus cynocephalus; Greek for "dog-headed pouched one") was the largest known carnivorous marsupial of modern times . It is commonly known as the Tasmanian Tiger (because of its striped back), the Tasmanian Wolf, and colloquially the Tassie (or Tazzy) Tiger or simply the Tiger. Native to continental Australia , Tasmania and New Guinea , it is thought to have become extinct in the 20th century. It was the last extant member of its genus , Thylacinus , although several related species have been found in the fossil record dating back to the early Miocene. The Thylacine had largely become extremely rare or extinct on the Australian mainland before European settlement of the continent, but it survived on the island state of Tasmania along with several other endemic species, including the Tasmanian Devil .

Intensive hunting encouraged by bounties is generally blamed for its extinction, but other contributory factors may have been disease, the introduction of dogs, and human encroachment into its habitat. Despite its official classification as extinct, sightings are still reported, though none proven. Like the tigers and wolves of the Northern Hemisphere, from which it obtained two of its common names, the Thylacine was an apex predator. As a marsupial, it was not closely related to these placental mammals, but because of convergent evolution it displayed the same general form and adaptations. Its closest living relative is thought to be either the Tasmanian Devil or Numbat . The Thylacine was one of only two marsupials to have a pouch in both sexes (the other being the Water Opossum). The male Thylacine had a pouch that acted as a protective sheath, protecting the male's external reproductive organs while running through thick brush. Evolution The modern Thylacine first appeared about 4 million years ago.

Species of the Thylacinidae family date back to the beginning of the Miocene; since the early 1990s, at least seven fossil species have been uncovered at Riversleigh, part of Lawn Hill National Park in northwest Queensland . Dickson's Thylacine (Nimbacinus dicksoni) is the oldest of the seven discovered fossil species, dating back to 23 million years ago. This thylacinid was much smaller than its more recent relatives. The largest species, the Powerful Thylacine (Thylacinus potens) which grew to the size of a wolf, was the only species to survive into the late Miocene. In late Pleistocene and early Holocene times, the modern Thylacine was widespread (although never numerous) throughout Australia and New Guinea. An example of convergent evolution, the Thylacine showed many similarities to the members of the Canidae (dog) family of the Northern Hemisphere: sharp teeth, powerful jaws, raised heels and the same general body form. Since the Thylacine filled the same ecological niche in Australia as the dog family did elsewhere it developed many of the same features.

Despite this, it is unrelated to any of the Northern Hemisphere predators. “ They are easy to tell from a true dog because of the stripes on the back but the skeleton is harder to distinguish. Zoology students at Oxford had to identify 100 zoological specimens as part of the final exam. Word soon got around that, if ever a 'dog' skull was given, it was safe to identify it as Thylacinus on the grounds that anything as obvious as a dog skull had to be a catch. Then one year the examiners, to their credit, double bluffed and put in a real dog skull. The easiest way to tell the difference is by the two prominent holes in the palate bone, which are characteristic of marsupials generally. ” —Richard Dawkins, The Ancestor's Tale Discovery and taxonomy The indigenous peoples of Australia made first contact with the Thylacine. Numerous examples of Thylacine engravings and rock art have been found dating back to at least 1000 BC. Petroglyph images of the Thylacine can be found at the Dampier Rock Art Precinct on the Burrup Peninsula in Western Australia .

By the time the first explorers arrived, the animal was already rare in Tasmania. Europeans may have encountered it as far back as 1642 when Abel Tasman first arrived in Tasmania. His shore party reported seeing the footprints of "wild beasts having claws like a Tyger". Marc-Joseph Marion du Fresne, arriving with the Mascarin in 1772, reported seeing a "tiger cat". Positive identification of the Thylacine as the animal encountered cannot be made from this report since the Tiger Quoll (Dasyurus maculatus) is similarly described. The first definitive encounter was by French explorers on 13 May 1792, as noted by the naturalist Jacques Labillardière, in his journal from the expedition led by D'Entrecasteaux. However, it was not until 1805 that William Paterson, the Lieutenant Governor of Tasmania, sent a detailed description for publication in the Sydney Gazette. The first detailed scientific description was made by Tasmania's Deputy Surveyor-General, George Harris in 1808, five years after first settlement of the island.

Harris originally placed the Thylacine in the genus Didelphis , which had been created by Linnaeus for the American opossums, describing it as Didelphis cynocephala, the "dog-headed opossum". Recognition that the Australian marsupials were fundamentally different from the known mammal genera led to the establishment of the modern classification scheme, and in 1796 Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire created the genus Dasyurus where he placed the Thylacine in 1810. To resolve the mixture of Greek and Latin nomenclature the species name was altered to cynocephalus. In 1824, it was separated out into its own genus, Thylacinus, by Temminck. The common name derives directly from the genus name, originally from the Greek θύλακος (thýlakos), meaning "pouch" or "sack". Several studies support the Thylacine as being a basal member of the Dasyuromorphia and that the Tasmanian Devil is its closest living relative.

However, research published in Genome Research in January 2009 suggests that the Numbat may be more basal than the Devil and more closely related to the Thylacine. Description Descriptions of the Thylacine vary, as evidence is restricted to preserved joey specimens, fossil records, skins and skeletal remains, black and white photographs and film of the animal in captivity, and accounts from the field. The Thylacine resembled a large, short-haired dog with a stiff tail which smoothly extended from the body in a way similar to that of a kangaroo . Many European settlers drew direct comparisons with the Hyena , because of its unusual stance and general demeanour. Its yellow-brown coat featured 13 to 21 distinctive dark stripes across its back, rump and the base of its tail, which earned the animal the nickname, "Tiger". The stripes were more marked in younger specimens, fading as the animal got older. One of the stripes extended down the outside of the rear thigh. Its body hair was dense and soft, up to 15 mm (0.59 in) in length; in juveniles the tip of the tail had a crest.

Its rounded, erect ears were about 8 cm (3 in) long and covered with short fur. Colouration varied from light fawn to a dark brown; the belly was cream-coloured. The mature Thylacine ranged from 100 to 130 cm (39 to 51 in) long, plus a tail of around 50 to 65 cm (20 to 26 in). The largest measured specimen was 290 cm (114 in) from nose to tail. Adults stood about 60 cm (24 in) at the shoulder and weighed 20 to 30 kg (44 to 66 lb). There was slight sexual dimorphism with the males being larger than females on average. The female Thylacine had a pouch with four teats , but unlike many other marsupials, the pouch opened to the rear of its body. Males had a scrotal pouch, unique amongst the Australian marsupials, into which they could withdraw their scrotal sac . The Thylacine was able to open its jaws to an unusual extent: up to 120 degrees.

This capability can be seen in part in David Fleay's short black-and-white film sequence of a captive Thylacine from 1933. The jaws were muscular and powerful and had 46 teeth. Thylacine footprints could be distinguished from other native or introduced animals; unlike foxes, cats, dogs, wombats or Tasmanian Devils, Thylacines had a very large rear pad and four obvious front pads, arranged in almost a straight line. The hindfeet were similar to the forefeet but had four digits rather than five. Their claws were non-retractable. The early scientific studies suggested it possessed an acute sense of smell which enabled it to track prey, but analysis of its brain structure revealed that its olfactory bulbs were not well developed. It is likely to have relied on sight and sound when hunting instead. Some observers described it having a strong and distinctive smell, others described a faint, clean, animal odour, and some no odour at all. It is possible that the Thylacine, like its relative, the Tasmanian Devil, gave off an odour when agitated.

The Thylacine was noted as having a stiff and somewhat awkward gait , making it unable to run at high speed. It could also perform a bipedal hop, in a fashion similar to a kangaroo—demonstrated at various times by captive specimens. Guiler speculates that this was used as an accelerated form of motion when the animal became alarmed. The animal was also able to balance on its hind legs and stand upright for brief periods. Although there are no recordings of Thylacine vocalisations, observers of the animal in the wild and in captivity noted that it would growl and hiss when agitated, often accompanied by a threat-yawn. During hunting it would emit a series of rapidly repeated guttural cough -like barks (described as "yip-yap", "cay-yip" or "hop-hop-hop"), probably for communication between the family pack members. It also had a long whining cry, probably for identification at distance, and a low snuffling noise used for communication between family members. Ecology and behaviour Little is known about the behaviour or habitat of the Thylacine.

A few observations were made of the animal in captivity, but only limited, anecdotal evidence exists of the animal's behaviour in the wild. Most observations were made during the day whereas the Thylacine was naturally nocturnal. Those observations made in the 20th century may have been atypical as they were of a species already under the stresses that would soon lead to its extinction. Some behavioural characteristics have been extrapolated from the behaviour of its close relative, the Tasmanian Devil. The Thylacine probably preferred the dry eucalyptus forests, wetlands, and grasslands in continental Australia. Indigenous Australian rock paintings indicate that the Thylacine lived throughout mainland Australia and New Guinea. Proof of the animal's existence in mainland Australia came from a desiccated carcass that was discovered in a cave in the Nullarbor Plain in Western Australia in 1990; carbon dating revealed it to be around 3,300 years old. In Tasmania it preferred the woodlands of the midlands and coastal heath, which eventually became the primary focus of British settlers seeking grazing properties for their livestock . The striped pattern may have provided camouflage in woodland conditions, but it may have also served for identification purposes.

The animal had a typical home range of between 40 and 80 km2 (15 and 31 sq mi). It appears to have kept to its home range without being territorial; groups too large to be a family unit were sometimes observed together. The Thylacine was a nocturnal and crepuscular hunter, spending the daylight hours in small caves or hollow tree trunks in a nest of twigs, bark or fern fronds. It tended to retreat to the hills and forest for shelter during the day and hunted in the open heath at night. Early observers noted that the animal was typically shy and secretive, with awareness of the presence of humans and generally avoiding contact, though it occasionally showed inquisitive traits. There is evidence for at least some year-round breeding (cull records show joeys discovered in the pouch at all times of the year), although the peak breeding season was in winter and spring. They would produce up to four cubs per litter (typically two or three), carrying the young in a pouch for up to three months and protecting them until they were at least half adult size.

Early pouch young were hairless and blind, but they had their eyes open and were fully furred by the time they left the pouch. After leaving the pouch, and until they were developed enough to assist, the juveniles would remain in the lair while the female hunted. Thylacines only once bred successfully in captivity, in Melbourne Zoo in 1899. Their life expectancy in the wild is estimated to have been 5 to 7 years, although captive specimens survived up to 9 years. Diet The Thylacine was exclusively carnivorous. Its stomach was muscular with an ability to distend to allow the animal to eat large amounts of food at one time, probably an adaptation to compensate for long periods when hunting was unsuccessful and food scarce. Analysis of the skeletal frame and observations of it in captivity suggest that it preferred to single out a target animal and pursue that animal until it was exhausted. Some studies conclude that the animal may have hunted in small family groups, with the main group herding prey in the general direction of an individual waiting in ambush. Trappers reported it as an ambush predator. Prey included kangaroos, wallabies , wombats, birds and small animals such as potoroos and possums .

A favourite prey animal may have been the once common Tasmanian Emu. The emu was a large, flightless bird which shared the habitat of the Thylacine and was hunted to extinction around 1850, possibly coinciding with the decline in Thylacine numbers. Both dingos and foxes have been noted to hunt the emu on the mainland. Throughout the 20th century, the Thylacine was often characterised as primarily a blood drinker, but little reference is now made to this trait; the story's popularity seems to have originated from a single second-hand account. European settlers believed the Thylacine to prey upon farmers' sheep and poultry . In captivity, Thylacines were fed a wide variety of foods, including dead rabbits and wallabies as well as beef, mutton, horse, and occasionally poultry. Extinction Extinction from mainland Australia ''See also: Ecological impact of the dingo after its arrival in Mainland Australia The Thylacine is likely to have become near-extinct in mainland Australia about 2,000 years ago, and possibly earlier in New Guinea. The absolute extinction is attributed to competition from indigenous humans and invasive dingoes.

However, doubts exist over the impact of the dingo since the two species would not have been in direct competition with one another as the dingo hunts primarily during the day, whereas it is thought that the Thylacine hunted mostly at night. In addition, the Thylacine had a more powerful build, which would have given it an advantage in one-on-one encounters. However, recent morphological examinations of dingo and Thylacine skulls show that although the dingo had a weaker bite, its skull could resist greater stresses, allowing it to pull down larger prey than the Thylacine could. The Thylacine was also much less versatile in diet than the omnivorous dingo. Their environments clearly overlapped: Thylacine sub-fossil remains have been discovered in proximity to those of dingoes. The adoption of the dingo as a hunting companion by the indigenous peoples would have put the Thylacine under increased pressure. Rock paintings from the Kakadu National Park clearly show that Thylacines were hunted by early humans.

Extinction in Tasmania Although the Thylacine had been close to extinction on mainland Australia by the time of European settlement, and went extinct some time in the nineteenth century, it survived into the 1930s on the island state of Tasmania. At the time of the first settlement, the heaviest distributions were in the northeast, northwest and north-midland regions of the state. They were rarely sighted during this time but slowly began to be credited with numerous attacks on sheep. This led to the establishment of bounty schemes in an attempt to control their numbers. The Van Diemen's Land Company introduced bounties on the Thylacine from as early as 1830, and between 1888 and 1909 the Tasmanian government paid £1 per head for dead adult Thylacines and ten shillings for pups. In all they paid out 2,184 bounties, but it is thought that many more Thylacines were killed than were claimed for. Its extinction is popularly attributed to these relentless efforts by farmers and bounty hunters .

However, it is likely that multiple factors led to its decline and eventual extinction, including competition with wild dogs introduced by European settlers, erosion of its habitat, the concurrent extinction of prey species, and a distemper -like disease that also affected many captive specimens at the time. Whatever the reason, the animal had become extremely rare in the wild by the late 1920s. Despite the fact that the Thylacine was believed by many to be responsible for attacks on sheep, several efforts were made to save the species from extinction. Records of the Wilsons Promontory management committee dating to 1908 included recommendations for Thylacines to be reintroduced to several suitable locations on the Victorian mainland. In 1928, the Tasmanian Advisory Committee for Native Fauna had recommended a reserve to protect any remaining Thylacines, with potential sites of suitable habitat including the Arthur-Pieman area of western Tasmania. In 1930 Wilf Batty, a farmer, killed the last known wild Thylacine in Mawbanna, in the northeast of the state. The animal, believed to have been a male, had been seen around Batty's house for several weeks.

"Benjamin" and searches The last captive Thylacine, later referred to as "Benjamin" (although its sex has never been confirmed) was captured in 1933 and sent to the Hobart Zoo where it lived for three years. Frank Darby, who claimed to have been a keeper at Hobart Zoo, suggested "Benjamin" as having been the animal's pet name in a newspaper article of May 1968. However, no documentation exists to suggest that it ever had a pet name, and Alison Reid (de facto curator at the zoo) and Michael Sharland (publicist for the zoo) denied that Frank Darby had ever worked at the zoo or that the name Benjamin was ever used for the animal. Darby also appears to be the source for the claim that the last Thylacine was a male; photographic evidence suggests it was female. This Thylacine died on 7 September 1936. It is believed to have died as the result of neglect—locked out of its sheltered sleeping quarters, it was exposed to a rare occurrence of extreme Tasmanian weather: extreme heat during the day and freezing temperatures at night.

This Thylacine features in the last known motion picture footage of a living specimen: 62 seconds of black-and-white footage showing it pacing backwards and forwards in its enclosure in a clip taken in 1933 by naturalist David Fleay. National Threatened Species Day has been held annually since 1996 on 7 September in Australia, to commemorate the death of the last officially recorded Thylacine. Although there had been a conservation movement pressing for the Thylacine's protection since 1901, driven in part by the increasing difficulty in obtaining specimens for overseas collections, political difficulties prevented any form of protection coming into force until 1936. Official protection of the species by the Tasmanian government was introduced on 10 July 1936, 59 days before the last known specimen died in captivity. The results of subsequent searches indicated a strong possibility of the survival of the species in Tasmania into the 1960s. Searches by Dr.

Eric Guiler and David Fleay in the northwest of Tasmania found footprints and scats that may have belonged to the animal, heard vocalisations matching the description of those of the Thylacine, and collected anecdotal evidence from people reported to have sighted the animal. Despite the searches, no conclusive evidence was found to point to its continued existence in the wild. The Thylacine held the status of endangered species until 1986. International standards state that any animal for which no specimens have been recorded for 50 years is to be declared extinct. Since no definitive proof of the Thylacine's existence had been found since "Benjamin" died in 1936, it met that official criterion and was declared officially extinct by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) is more cautious, listing it as "possibly extinct". Unconfirmed sightings Although the Thylacine is considered extinct, many people believe the animal still exists. Sightings are regularly claimed in Tasmania, other parts of Australia and even in the Western New Guinea area of Indonesia , near the Papua New Guinea border.

The Australian Rare Fauna Research Association reports having 3,800 sightings on file from mainland Australia since the 1936 extinction date, while the Mystery Animal Research Centre of Australia recorded 138 up to 1998, and the Department of Conservation and Land Management recorded 65 in Western Australia over the same period. Independent Thylacine researchers Buck and Joan Emburg of Tasmania report 360 Tasmanian and 269 mainland post-extinction 20th century sightings, figures compiled from a number of sources. On the mainland, sightings are most frequently reported in Southern Victoria. Some sightings have generated a large amount of publicity. In 1973, Gary and Liz Doyle shot ten seconds of 8mm film showing an unidentified animal running across a South Australia road. However, attempts to positively identify the creature as a thylacine have been impossible due to the poor quality of the film. In 1982 a researcher with the Tasmania Parks and Wildlife Service, Hans Naarding, observed what he believed to be a Thylacine for three minutes during the night at a site near Arthur River in northwestern Tasmania. The sighting led to an extensive year-long government-funded search.

In January 1995, a Parks and Wildlife officer reported observing a Thylacine in the Pyengana region of northeastern Tasmania in the early hours of the morning. Later searches revealed no trace of the animal. In 1997, it was reported that locals and missionaries near Mount Carstensz in Western New Guinea had sighted Thylacines. The locals had apparently known about them for many years but had not made an official report. In February 2005 Klaus Emmerichs, a German tourist, claimed to have taken digital photographs of a Thylacine he saw near the Lake St Clair National Park, but the authenticity of the photographs has not been established. The photos were not published until April 2006, fourteen months after the sighting. The photographs, which showed only the back of the animal, were said by those who studied them to be inconclusive as evidence of the Thylacine's continued existence. Rewards In 1983, Ted Turner offered a $100,000 reward for proof of the continued existence of the Thylacine.

However, a letter sent in response to an inquiry by a Thylacine-searcher, Murray McAllister, in 2000 indicated that the reward had been withdrawn. In March 2005, Australian news magazine The Bulletin, as part of its 125th anniversary celebrations, offered a $1.25 million reward for the safe capture of a live Thylacine. When the offer closed at the end of June 2005 no one had produced any evidence of the animal's existence. An offer of $1.75 million has subsequently been offered by a Tasmanian tour operator, Stewart Malcolm. Trapping is illegal under the terms of the Thylacine's protection, so any reward made for its capture is invalid, since a trapping licence would not be issued. Modern research and projects Records of all specimens, many of which are in European collections, are now held in the International Thylacine Specimen Database. The Australian Museum in Sydney began a cloning project in 1999. The goal was to use genetic material from specimens taken and preserved in the early 20th century to clone new individuals and restore the species from extinction.

Several microbiologists have dismissed the project as a public relations stunt and its chief proponent, Professor Mike Archer, received a 2002 nomination for the Australian Skeptics Bent Spoon Award for "the perpetrator of the most preposterous piece of paranormal or pseudo-scientific piffle". In late 2002 the researchers had some success as they were able to extract replicable DNA from the specimens. On 15 February 2005, the museum announced that it was stopping the project after tests showed the DNA retrieved from the specimens had been too badly degraded to be usable. In May 2005, Professor Michael Archer, the University of New South Wales Dean of Science, former director of the Australian Museum and evolutionary biologist, announced that the project was being restarted by a group of interested universities and a research institute. The International Thylacine Specimen Database was completed in April 2005 and is the culmination of a four-year research project to catalog and digitally photograph, if possible, all known surviving Thylacine specimen material held within museum, university and private collections. The master records are held by the Zoological Society of London. In 2008 researchers Andrew J.

Pask and Marilyn B. Renfree from the University of Melbourne and Richard R. Behringer from the University of Texas reported that they managed to restore functionality of a gene Col2A1 enhancer obtained from 100 year-old ethanol-fixed thylacine tissues from museum collections. The genetic material was found working in transgenic mice. The research enhanced hopes to eventually restore the population of thylacines. That same year, another group of researchers successfully sequenced the complete thylacine mitochondrial genome from two museum specimens. Their success suggests that it is feasible to sequence the complete thylacine nuclear genome from museum specimens. Their results were published in the journal Genome Research in 2009. Cultural references The best known illustrations of Thylacinus cynocephalus were those in Gould's The Mammals of Australia (1845-63), often copied since its publication and the most frequently reproduced, and given further exposure by Cascade Brewery's appropriation for its label in 1987.

The government of Tasmania published a monochromatic reproduction of the same image in 1934, the author Louisa Anne Meredith also copied it for Tasmanian Friends and Foes (1881). The Thylacine has been used extensively as a symbol of Tasmania. The animal is featured on the official Tasmanian Coat of Arms. It is used in the official logos of Tourism Tasmania and the Launceston City Council. Since 1998, it has been prominently displayed on Tasmanian vehicle number plates. The plight of the Thylacine was featured in a campaign for The Wilderness Society entitled We used to hunt Thylacines. In video games, Ty the Tasmanian Tiger is the star of his own trilogy. In the early 1990s' Cartoon TV show "Taz-Mania" the character 'Wendell T. Wolf' was supposedly the last surviving Tasmanian wolf. Tiger Tale is a children's book based on an Aboriginal myth about how the Thylacine got its stripes. The Thylacine character 'Rolf' is featured in the extinction musical Rockford's Rock Opera.

The Thylacine is the mascot for Tasmanian Tigers state cricket team and has also appeared in postage stamps from Australia, Equatorial Guinea , and Micronesia . (Wikipedia)

Question: The Thylacine, thought to be extinct, was a wolf living on which island?
Answer: Tasmania