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Science
Related: About this forumSadly, probably still extinct, 81 years after the last known Thylacine died, on this day in 1936.
Re: Risking it all in a last-ditch search for Australias lost tiger
The thylacine ... was the largest known carnivorous marsupial of modern times. It is commonly known as the Tasmanian tiger (because of its striped lower back) or the Tasmanian wolf. Native to continental Australia, Tasmania and New Guinea, it is believed to have become extinct in the 20th century. It was the last extant member of its family, Thylacinidae; specimens of other members of the family have been found in the fossil record dating back to the late Oligocene.
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The last captive thylacine, later referred to as "Benjamin", was trapped in the Florentine Valley by Elias Churchill in 1933, and sent to the Hobart Zoo where it lived for three years. The thylacine died on 7 September 1936. It is believed to have died as the result of neglectlocked out of its sheltered sleeping quarters, it was exposed to a rare occurrence of extreme Tasmanian weather: extreme heat during the day and freezing temperatures at night. The thylacine features in the last known motion picture footage of a living specimen: 62 seconds of black-and-white footage showing the thylacine in its enclosure in a clip taken in 1933, by naturalist David Fleay. In the film footage, the thylacine is seen seated, walking around the perimeter of its enclosure, yawning (exposing its impressive gape), sniffing the air, scratching itself (in the same manner as a dog), and lying down.
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Sadly, probably still extinct, 81 years after the last known Thylacine died, on this day in 1936. (Original Post)
mahatmakanejeeves
Sep 2017
OP
Baitball Blogger
(51,895 posts)1. There have been sightings.
Check Google.
Warpy
(114,503 posts)2. Yes, but massive searches have turned up nothing
not even remains so far.
They were incredible survivors. One hopes they're hiding deep in jungle areas. It's just unlikely.
