Tasmanian Tiger

Image by Baker; E.J. Keller

DID YOU KNOW?

The Tasmanian tiger actually has its pouch on its back and not on the front side, like most common marsupials!

The Tasmanian Tiger (also known as the Thylacine) was an animal that resembled a dog and yet had brown stripes on its back (like a tiger!). One might have thought that it was related to a dog or a tiger, but it also had a pouch for its cubs, which means that it was actually related to other marsupials such as kangaroos. However, the Tasmanian tiger was different enough to be classified as its own family in the animal kingdom. It lived in Australia though it was eventually isolated to the island of Tasmania. It was also the largest known marsupial predator, feeding on wombats, kangaroos, possums, and birds.

No one knows for sure, but it is believed that when the Tasmanian tiger was over-hunted, their population was so low they couldn’t survive an unidentified disease in the 1800s. The last known Tasmanian tiger died in 1936 at the Hobart Zoo in Tasmania, Australia. The Tasmanian tiger was a crucial part of the aboriginal culture in certain parts of Australia, where it co-existed with people for thousands of years. Native peoples shared and passed down stories about it for generations through oral history, dance and ceremonies. Paintings of an animal resembling the Tasmanian tiger have been found on rocks. Today the Tasmanian tiger is proudly shown on Tasmania's coat of arms, which displays their lost legacy.

SURPRISE SURPRISE!

While believed to have been extinct for almost a century now, there have been potential sightings reported, with the most recent one dating back to March, 2017 in Queensland, Australia. This reported sighting occurred at night and the description of it was used to double check against other current living species to rule out possibilities.

There are a few organizations in Australia who are investigating these reported sightings such as the Thylacine Research Unit (T.R.U). T.R.U is a team of scientists and researchers that undertakes field investigations in Tasmania into potential sightings of the Tasmanian Tiger, and co-hosted a documentary called “The Hunt for the Tasmanian Tiger” which aired on Animal Planet and Discovery.

SOURCES

The Whale Dreamer

TASMANIAN TIGER

Image by Baker; E.J. Keller

The Last Tasmanian Tiger