Thylacines

Species	Thylacine cynocephalus
Diet	Carnivore
Length	3.3 to 4.4 ft
Lifespan	5 to 7 years
Classification	Mammalia > Marsupialia > Dasyuromorphia > Thylacinidae
Habitat	Dry eucalyptus forests, wetlands, and grasslands

The Thylacine, often called the Tasmanian tiger, was a unique carnivorous marsupial native to Australia, New Guinea, and Tasmania. Even though it looked remarkably like a dog or wolf with its striped back, it was actually more like kangaroos and had a pouch. Sadly, due to intensive hunting by farmers who viewed them as a threat to livestock, habitat loss, and disease, the population crashed. The very last known thylacine passed away in a zoo in 1936, making the species extinct, though it remains an iconic and fascinating part of history today.

Places

Tasmania, Australia

Both male and female thylacines had a pouch! Females used theirs to carry babies, while males used theirs as a protective cover.
They were called “Tasmanian tigers” because of the 15 to 20 dark stripes running across their backs and tails.
Thylacines could open their mouths extraordinarily wide, almost like a snake!
While they once lived across Australia, the last surviving wild population lived on the island of Tasmania.
Australia commemorates September 7 as National Threatened Species Day, which is the anniversary of when the very last thylacine passed away in 1936.

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