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|name=Tasmanian Tiger | |name=Tasmanian Tiger | ||
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|introduction='''Tasmanian Tiger''' is a type of extinct marsupial [[Friend]] based on the last confirmed living thylacine. | |introduction=''<small>Looking for the Friend of the general Thylacine species? See [[Thylacine]].</small>'' | ||
'''Tasmanian Tiger''' is a type of extinct marsupial [[Friend]] based on the last confirmed living thylacine. | |||
|reallife=[[File:Thylacinus.jpg|thumb|left|A female thylacine (foreground) and her juvenile male offspring (background) in the National Zoo in Washington, D.C. Photo taken circa 1903/1904 by Unknown photographer. Via the Smithsonian Institution archives.]] | |reallife=[[File:Thylacinus.jpg|thumb|left|A female thylacine (foreground) and her juvenile male offspring (background) in the National Zoo in Washington, D.C. Photo taken circa 1903/1904 by Unknown photographer. Via the Smithsonian Institution archives.]] | ||
The Tasmanian Tiger ''(Thylacinus cynocephalus)'' is a type of [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Extinct extinct] carnivorous marsupial that was native to the Australian mainland and the islands of Tasmania and New Guinea. They were near extinction throughout most of the range (specifically mainland Australia) by about 2,000 years ago. The introduction of dingoes is the most likely reason, though others include extensive hunting, human encroachment on territory, and climate change. | The Tasmanian Tiger ''(Thylacinus cynocephalus)'' is a type of [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Extinct extinct] carnivorous marsupial that was native to the Australian mainland and the islands of Tasmania and New Guinea. They were near extinction throughout most of the range (specifically mainland Australia) by about 2,000 years ago. The introduction of dingoes is the most likely reason, though others include extensive hunting, human encroachment on territory, and climate change. | ||
Descriptions of the Tasmanian Tiger come from preserved specimens, fossil records, skins and skeletal remains, and black and white photographs of the animal, both in captivity and in the wild. It resembled a large, short-haired dog with a stiff tail (similar to a kangaroo's tail). An adult could reach about 100 to 130 cm (39 to 51 in.) long, in addition to a tail of around 50 to 65 cm (20 to 26 in.) and stood at a height of around 60 cm (24 in.) There was slight [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sexual_dimorphism sexual dimorphism], with the males being larger than females: Males weighed on average 19.7 kilograms (43 lbs.) and females on average weighed 13.7 kilograms (30 lbs.). | Descriptions of the Tasmanian Tiger come from preserved specimens, fossil records, skins and skeletal remains, and black and white photographs of the animal, both in captivity and in the wild. It resembled a large, short-haired dog with a stiff tail (similar to a kangaroo's tail). An adult could reach about 100 to 130 cm (39 to 51 in.) long, in addition to a tail of around 50 to 65 cm (20 to 26 in.) and stood at a height of around 60 cm (24 in.) There was slight [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sexual_dimorphism sexual dimorphism], with the males being larger than females: Males weighed on average 19.7 kilograms (43 lbs.) and females on average weighed 13.7 kilograms (30 lbs.). Its coat was made up of dense but soft fur, featured 15 to 20 distinctive dark stripes across its back, rump and the base of its tail (hence the nickname "tiger"). Coloration varied from light fawn to a dark brown, but all had a cream-colored belly. | ||
They most likely preferred dry eucalyptus forests, wetlands, and grasslands of mainland Australia. Physical proof of the tiger's existence in the mainland came from a body that was discovered in a cave in the Nullarbor Plain in Western Australia in 1990. [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carbon_dating Carbon dating] of the body revealed it to be around 3,000 years old. Meanwhile in Tasmania, it preferred the woodlands of the midlands and coastal regions. The stripes on the body helped with camouflage in the wooded areas. A typical territory range was between 40 and 80 km2 (15 and 31 sq mi). However they were not aggressive with boundaries; groups far too large to be a family unit were sometimes observed together. | |||
|trivia=[[File:Coat of arms of Tasmania.svg|thumb|right| The [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coat_of_arms_of_Tasmania Coat of Arms of Tasmania], featuring Tasmanian Tigers/Thylacines. The Latin phrase ''Ubertas et Fidelitas'' means "Fertility and Faithfulness".]] | |trivia=[[File:Coat of arms of Tasmania.svg|thumb|right| The [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coat_of_arms_of_Tasmania Coat of Arms of Tasmania], featuring Tasmanian Tigers/Thylacines. The Latin phrase ''Ubertas et Fidelitas'' means "Fertility and Faithfulness".]] | ||
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* The closest living relative is the [[Tasmanian Devil]]. | * The closest living relative is the [[Tasmanian Devil]]. | ||
* The Thylacnine/Tasmanian Tiger is a [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basal_(phylogenetics) basal] member of the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dasyuromorphia Dasyuromorphia} family. | * The Thylacnine/Tasmanian Tiger is a [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basal_(phylogenetics) basal] member of the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dasyuromorphia Dasyuromorphia} family. | ||
* They had an unusual talent of being able to [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:%22Benjamin%22.jpg open their jaws up to 80 degrees]. | |||
* Thanks to preserved specimens in private collections and museums, its [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whole_genome_sequencing whole genome sequence] has been mapped and there are efforts to [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cloning clone] them and bring them back to life. | * Thanks to preserved specimens in private collections and museums, its [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whole_genome_sequencing whole genome sequence] has been mapped and there are efforts to [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cloning clone] them and bring them back to life. | ||
|reference=* [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thylacine#Last_of_the_Speecies Wikipedia Page] | |reference=* [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thylacine#Last_of_the_Speecies Wikipedia Page] | ||
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* "Shrinking Tasmanian tigers: Resizing an Australian icon". phys.org. Retrieved 19 August 2020. | * "Shrinking Tasmanian tigers: Resizing an Australian icon". phys.org. Retrieved 19 August 2020. | ||
* Rovinsky, Douglass S.; Evans, Alistair R.; Martin, Damir G.; Adams, Justin W. (2020). "Did the thylacine violate the costs of carnivory? Body mass and sexual dimorphism of an iconic Australian marsupial". Proceedings of the Royal Society B. 287 (20201537). doi:10.1098/rspb.2020.1537. PMC 7482282. PMID 32811303. | * Rovinsky, Douglass S.; Evans, Alistair R.; Martin, Damir G.; Adams, Justin W. (2020). "Did the thylacine violate the costs of carnivory? Body mass and sexual dimorphism of an iconic Australian marsupial". Proceedings of the Royal Society B. 287 (20201537). doi:10.1098/rspb.2020.1537. PMC 7482282. PMID 32811303. | ||
* Dixon, Joan. "Fauna of Australia chap.20 vol.1b" (PDF). Australian Biological Resources Study (ABRS). Archived from the original (PDF) on 8 January 2009. Retrieved 22 November 2006. | |||
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