The thylacine (Thylacinus cynocephalus), also known as the Tasmanian tiger (because of its striped lower back), or the Tasmanian wolf (because of its canid-like characteristics), as well as various Aboriginal Tasmanian names such as coorinna, kanunnah, cab-berr-one-nen-er, loarinna, laoonana, can-nen-ner, and lagunta, and kaparunina in Palawa kani, is an extinct carnivorous marsupial that was native to the Australian mainland and the islands of Tasmania and New Guinea. The last known live animal was captured in 1930 in Tasmania.
The thylacine was relatively shy and nocturnal, with the general appearance of a medium-to-large-size canid, except for its stiff tail and abdominal pouch similar to that of a kangaroo. Because of convergent evolution, it displayed an anatomy and adaptations similar to the tiger (Panthera tigris) and wolf (Canis lupus) of the Northern Hemisphere, such as dark transverse stripes that radiated from the top of its back, and a skull shape extremely similar to those of canids, despite being unrelated. The thylacine was a formidable apex predator, though exactly how large its prey animals were is disputed. Its closest living relatives are the other members of Dasyuromorphia, including the Tasmanian devil (Sarcophilus harrisii) and quolls. The thylacine was 1 of only 2 marsupials known to have a pouch in both sexes: the other (still extant) species is the water opossum (Chironectes minimus) from Central and South America. The pouch of the male thylacine served as a protective sheath, covering the external reproductive organs.
The thylacine had become locally extinct on both New Guinea and the Australian mainland before British settlement of the continent, but its last stronghold was 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 in 1936, but other contributing factors may have been disease, the introduction of and competition with dingoes, and human encroachment into its habitat. However sightings of the thylacine continued throughout the island of Tasmania and mainland Australia.
Games[]
Jurassic World: Alive[]
Thylacine is mentioned in Jurassic World: Alive, where the Thylos intrepidus is the "Tasmanian tiger" of Jurassic World, even though the thylacine and the marsupial lion (which was part of Thylos intrepidus' genome) are from different marsupial families.
