What was the Tasmanian tiger?
The Tasmanian tiger, or thylacine, was a carnivorous marsupial that looked like a dog with tiger-like stripes on its back. The last known thylacine died in Hobart Zoo in 1936, and the species is considered extinct.
Thylacines once lived across mainland Australia and New Guinea, but they disappeared from the mainland around 3,000 years ago. Possible reasons include competition from dingoes and changes in climate and human activity.
In Tasmania, the thylacine survived until European settlement. Farmers blamed it for killing sheep, and the government paid bounties for thousands of thylacines between 1888 and 1909.
The last thylacine
The last known thylacine died at Beaumaris Zoo in Hobart on 7 September 1936. That date is now marked as National Threatened Species Day in Australia.
Despite many reported sightings, there has been no confirmed evidence of living thylacines since then. The species was officially declared extinct in 1982.
Thylacines were the largest carnivorous marsupials of modern times. Both males and females had pouches. Scientists have studied preserved specimens and DNA, and some researchers have announced projects aiming to bring the species back using genetic technology, though this remains highly uncertain.