thylacinen

The thylacine, also known as the Tasmanian tiger or Tasmanian wolf, is an extinct carnivorous marsupial that belonged to the family Thylacinidae and the genus Thylacinus, with the most recent species named Thylacinus cynocephalus. It was native to Tasmania and, during the Pleistocene, to mainland Australia and nearby islands before gradually disappearing from the mainland.

Physically, the thylacine resembled a large, dog-like carnivore with a slender body, a large head, and a stiff, tapering tail. Its fur was short and pale yellow-brown, often with dark vertical stripes across the back and rump, leading to its “tiger” nickname. Adults varied in size but were roughly the size of a medium-to-large dog; males and females were similar in stature. Females carried young in a pouch, as is common for marsupials.

Ecology and behavior were that of a carnivorous, opportunistic predator. Thylacines hunted small to medium-sized mammals such as wallabies and possums and may have scavenged opportunistically. They were primarily nocturnal or crepuscular and tended to be solitary or observed in pairs. Reproduction involved relatively small litter sizes, with young spending an extended period developing in a pouch before becoming independent.

Decline and extinction followed European colonization of Tasmania, which brought widespread habitat modification, direct persecution, and bounties against the species. Loss of prey species and competition with introduced predators likely contributed as well. The last known thylacine died in 1936 in Hobart Zoo, and the species is generally regarded as extinct, though occasional unverified sightings have persisted in popular belief.