FaunaHub
EXExtinctPartial review

Thylacine

Thylacinus cynocephalus

Historical photograph of thylacines (Thylacinus cynocephalus), the extinct Tasmanian tiger.

Thylacine (Thylacinus cynocephalus) — a historical photograph of the now-extinct marsupial.

Image: Unknown authorUnknown author, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.

At a glance

IUCN category
EX · Extinct
Animal group
Mammals
Population trend
Trend unknown
Last verified

Conservation overview

The thylacine, or Tasmanian tiger, was a striped, dog-like marsupial carnivore of Tasmania. It is assessed as Extinct, with the last known individual dying in 1936.

Despite its dog-like look, it was a marsupial that carried young in a pouch.

Range & habitat

Formerly Tasmania, with earlier populations on mainland Australia and New Guinea.

Major threats

Threats below are drawn from the authoritative sources listed on this page. For the current, complete assessment, see the IUCN Red List.

  • Hunting and government bounties
  • Habitat loss and disease
  • Competition with introduced dogs

Why it matters

A marsupial predator hunted to extinction within living memory, the thylacine is a powerful symbol of preventable species loss.

Gallery

A preserved thylacine pup specimen in a museum.

Thylacine (Thylacinus cynocephalus); a preserved pup in a museum.

Image: Ethmostigmus, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Sources

Sources for Thylacine

Frequently Asked Questions

Was the thylacine a tiger or a dog?
Neither. It was a carnivorous marsupial whose striped back earned it the name 'Tasmanian tiger' and whose shape recalled a dog — an example of unrelated animals evolving similar forms. It carried young in a pouch.
When did the thylacine go extinct?
The last known thylacine died in a Hobart zoo in 1936, after decades of hunting, bounties, habitat loss, and disease. It is assessed as Extinct. See the IUCN Red List.

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