Thylacines were known by many names such as Tasmanian tiger and Tasmanian wolf. It’s scientific name, Thylacinus cynocephalus, means pouched dog with a wolf head. Thylacines were a remarkably unique marsupial.
Though now extinct, thylacines were found in Australia, Tasmania, and New Guinea.
Thylacines resembled a dog about 6 feet long and stood 2 feet tall. The males were larger than the females. They had a wolf like head with large, powerful jaws and small ears. Their short, thick fur ranged in color from yellowish brown to grey. They had distinctive markings of 15 to 20 dark stripes on the back half of their body.
Thylacines were carnivores and fed on kangaroos, small rodents, birds, and wallabies. They typically hunted at night either alone or in pairs. Their movements were typically slow and stiff, so they would pursue their prey until it was exhausted and easy to catch.
Thylacines bred during the winter and spring. Females had litters of up to 4 pups. The babies were born tiny and hairless, and lived in the mother’s pouch right after birth. They stayed in the pouch until they were so large, the pouch would almost drag the ground as the mother walked. At this point, the mother would move the pups into a lair while she went out to hunt. Thylacines lived anywhere from 5 to 7 years in the wild.
It’s too late to do anything to protect the species since they were declared extinct by international standards in 1986. It was first added to the endangered species list in 1936, but even then it was too late for thylacines.
The thylacine was an extraordinary marsupial that was unique in its characteristics. They were marsupials with wolf heads and stripes. They were carnivores that moved so stiffly, they had to wear out their prey. It would have been magnificent to see them in action.
Sources:
http://australianmuseum.net.au/The-Thylacine
http://extinctanimal.com/the_thylacine.htm
http://www.parks.tas.gov.au/index.aspx?base=4765