The Thylacine was the largest known carnivorous marsupial of modern times. It is commonly known as the Tasmanian tiger (because of its striped lower back) or the Tasmanian wolf. Native to continental Australia, Tasmania and New Guinea, it is believed to have become extinct in the 20th century. It was the last extant member of its family, Thylacinidae; specimens of other members of the family have been found in the fossil record dating back to the late Oligocene.
The Thylacine had become extremely rare or extinct on the Australian mainland before British settlement of the continent, but it survived on the island 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 contributing 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 has been conclusively proven.
About the video: Compilation of all five known Australian silent films featuring the recently extinct thylacines, shot in Hobart Zoo, Tasmania, Australia. Benjamin, the last specimen, is shown in the footage starting from 2:05. The clips are separated by fades.
“Endling” might just be the loneliest term in the English language. An endling is the last member of a species or subspecies, and when this lone individual dies its species is extinct. Several endlings have been recorded in recent times. Martha, the last passenger pigeon, died in 1914 in Cincinnatti Zoo. She was the last of a species that had numbered several billion before Europeans arrived in North America. Human actions are a oft-repeated theme in the story of endlings. The animal in the photo is Benjamin, the last thylacine (or Tasmanian Tiger). Benjamin - who may have actually been female - lived out his days in Hobart Zoo. On the 7th of September, 1936, Benjamin died due to neglect. Other species endlings have included the last quagga and the Caspian tiger, though there are certainly more we don’t know of. Perhaps the most well-known recent endling is the Pinta Island giant tortoise Lonesome George, who died on 24th June last year. George’s status as an endling may be rescinded in time; DNA from 17 hybrid tortoises indicates that they have some genetic material from George’s subspecies. Given tortoises’ long lifespans, the researchers have hope that the hybrids’ parents may still be alive somewhere on the Galápagos islands. Unless these purebred specimens are found (if they are still alive), Lonesome George holds a special place as our most famous and recent endling.
Thylacine as pet: remarkably tractable, docile, and affectionate - and, in some respects, superior to the dog. One of these reasons is that the thylacine acquiesces to others without protest - they do not engage in power struggles.
I don’t wanna get all bigfoot on you, but I think if you did some research you would agree that there is a small relic population alive today - but the species is still extinct.
Awwww bbs ;U; They sounded like such sweet little animals.
i think we’re getting close to cloning them back into existence
IIRC, the arabian oryx population was re-established from seven or so individuals. So if there is indeed a relic population, and the genetic diversity is decent, thylacines could probably be re-populated too! (cloning would also help, I think!)
