Search results
The thylacine (/ ˈ θ aɪ l ə s iː n /; binomial name Thylacinus cynocephalus), also commonly known as the Tasmanian tiger or Tasmanian wolf, is an extinct carnivorous marsupial that was native to the Australian mainland and the islands of Tasmania and New Guinea.
May 12, 2023 · Tasmanian tigers, also known as thylacines ( Thylacinus cynocephalus) were carnivorous marsupials with distinctive stripes on their lower back. The species was originally found across...
- Bob Strauss
- It Wasn't Really a Tiger. The Tasmanian Tiger earned its name because of the distinctive tiger-like stripes along its lower back and tail, which were more reminiscent of a hyena than a big cat.
- It's Also Known as the Thylacine. If "Tasmanian Tiger" is a deceptive name, where does that leave us? Well, the genus and species name of this extinct predator is Thylacinus cynocephalus (literally, Greek for "dog-headed pouched mammal"), but naturalists and paleontologists more commonly refer to it as the Thylacine.
- It Went Extinct in the Mid-20th Century. About 2,000 years ago, yielding to pressure from indigenous human settlers, Australia's Thylacine population dwindled rapidly.
- Both Males and Females Had Pouches. In most marsupial species, only the females possess pouches, which they use to incubate and protect their prematurely born young (as opposed to placental mammals, which produce their fetuses in an internal womb).
5 days ago · The Tasmanian tiger, or thylacine, was a marsupial carnivore that went extinct in 1936, but many Australians still hope to see it alive. This report explores the history, science and folklore of the Tasmanian tiger, and the stories of those who search for it in the wild.
- Correspondent, 60 Minutes
- 13 min
- CBS News
Jun 9, 2024 · Also known as: Tasmanian tiger, Tasmanian wolf, Thylacinus cynocephalus, marsupial wolf. Written and fact-checked by. The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica.
- The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
- The thylacine was a slender fox-faced animal that originally inhabited the Australian mainland, New Guinea, and Tasmania. It is now extinct. It was...
- Thylacines lived in Tasmania, New Guinea, and mainland Australia. They ranged over grasslands, wetlands, and dry eucalyptus forests.
- Competition with the dingo probably led to the thylacine’s disappearance from mainland Australia. It was widely hunted in Tasmania by European sett...
- Thylacines were carnivorous marsupials. They ate kangaroos, birds, and small rodents. When European settlers arrived, thylacines also ate poultry a...
Learn about the extinct Tasmanian tiger or thylacine, a striped pouched dog with a wolf's head. Discover its distribution, habitat, behaviour, extinction and cultural significance.
The Thylacine ( Thylacinus cynocephalus: dog-headed pouched-dog) is a large carnivorous marsupial now believed to be extinct. It was the only member of the family Thylacinidae to survive into modern times. It is also known as the Tasmanian Tiger or Tasmanian Wolf.
