The thylacine (pronounced /ˈθaɪləsiːn/; scientific name Thylacinus cynocephalus) was also called the Tasmanian tiger or Tasmanian wolf. It was a carnivorous marsupial that lived on the Australian mainland, Tasmania, and New Guinea. The thylacine went extinct in New Guinea and mainland Australia about 3,600–3,200 years ago, possibly due to the arrival of the dingo, which first appeared around the same time but never reached Tasmania. Before Europeans arrived in Australia, about 5,000 thylacines lived in the wild on Tasmania. In the 19th century, people began hunting them because they were seen as a threat to farm animals. The last known thylacine died in 1936 at Hobart Zoo in Tasmania. The thylacine is widely recognized in popular culture and is an important symbol in Australia.
The thylacine was called the Tasmanian tiger because of the dark stripes on its back, and the Tasmanian wolf because it looked like a medium- to large-sized dog. The name "thylacine" comes from the Greek words "thýlakos," meaning "pouch," and "-ine," meaning "related to," referring to the marsupial pouch. Both male and female thylacines had a pouch. Female thylacines used their pouches to care for their young, while males used theirs to cover their reproductive organs. The animal had a stiff tail and could open its jaws very wide. Studies suggest the thylacine was a solitary ambush predator that hunted small and medium-sized animals, such as birds and mammals. It was the only member of its genus and family to survive until modern times. Its closest living relatives are other members of the Dasyuromorphia group, like the Tasmanian devil, which it split from about 42–36 million years ago.
Hunting by humans in Tasmania is often considered the main reason for the thylacine’s extinction, but other factors included disease, competition with dingoes, human activity in its habitat, and climate change. In 2022, scientists discovered the remains of the last known thylacine at the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery. Since its extinction, many searches and sightings of live thylacines have been reported, but none have been confirmed.
The thylacine is a symbol of Tasmania and appears on the official coat of arms of the state. Since 1996, National Threatened Species Day in Australia has been celebrated on September 7, the day the last known thylacine died in 1936. Scientists around the world study the thylacine. Researchers have mapped its entire DNA sequence, and some scientists are working to clone the animal and bring it back to life.
Taxonomic and evolutionary history
Many carvings and rock art pictures of thylacines have been found. These date back to at least 1000 BC. Petroglyph images of the thylacine can be found at the Dampier Rock Art Precinct, on the Burrup Peninsula in Western Australia.
By the time the first European explorers arrived, the animal was already extinct in mainland Australia and New Guinea and rare in Tasmania. Europeans may have encountered it in Tasmania as far back as 1642, when Abel Tasman first arrived in Tasmania. His shore party reported seeing the footprints of "wild beasts having claws like a Tyger." Marc-Joseph Marion du Fresne, arriving with the Mascarin in 1772, reported seeing a "tiger cat."
The first clear meeting was by French explorers on 13 May 1792, as noted by the naturalist Jacques Labillardière, in his journal from the expedition led by d'Entrecasteaux. In 1805, William Paterson, the Lieutenant Governor of Tasmania, sent a detailed description for publication in the Sydney Gazette. He also sent a description of the thylacine in a letter to Joseph Banks, dated 30 March 1805.
The first detailed scientific description was made by Tasmania's Deputy Surveyor-General, George Harris, in 1808, five years after first European settlement of the island. Harris originally placed the thylacine in the genus Didelphis, which had been created by Linnaeus for the American opossums, describing it as Didelphis cynocephala, the "dog-headed opossum." Recognition that the Australian marsupials were fundamentally different from the known mammal genera led to the establishment of the modern classification scheme. In 1796, Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire created the genus Dasyurus, where he placed the thylacine in 1810. To maintain gender agreement with the genus name, the species name was altered to cynocephalus. In 1824, it was separated out into its own genus, Thylacinus, by Temminck. The common name derives directly from the genus name, originally from the Greek θύλακος (thýlakos), meaning "pouch" or "sack," and "ine" meaning "pertaining to." The name is pronounced THY-lə-seen or THY-lə-syne.
The earliest records of the modern thylacine are from the Early Pleistocene, with the oldest known fossil record in southeastern Australia from the Calabrian age around 1.77–0.78 million years ago. Specimens from the Pliocene-aged Chinchilla Fauna, described as Thylacinus rostralis by Charles De Vis in 1894, have in the past been suggested to represent Thylacinus cynocephalus, but have been shown to either have been curatorial errors or ambiguous in their specific attribution. The family Thylacinidae includes at least 12 species in eight genera. Thylacinids are estimated to have split from other members of Dasyuromorphia around 42–36 million years ago. The earliest representative of the family is Badjcinus turnbulli from the Late Oligocene of Riversleigh in Queensland, around 25 million years ago. Early thylacinids were quoll-sized, well under 10 kg (22 lb). It probably ate insects and small reptiles and mammals, although signs of an increasingly-carnivorous diet can be seen as early as the early Miocene in Wabulacinus. Members of the genus Thylacinus are notable for a dramatic increase in both the expression of carnivorous dental traits and in size, with the largest species, Thylacinus potens and Thylacinus megiriani, both approaching the size of a wolf. In late Pleistocene and early Holocene times, the modern thylacine was widespread (although never numerous) throughout Australia and New Guinea.
A classic example of convergent evolution, the thylacine showed many similarities to the members of the dog family, Canidae, of the Northern Hemisphere: sharp teeth, powerful jaws, raised heels, and the same general body form. Since the thylacine filled the same ecological niche in Australia and New Guinea as canids did elsewhere, it developed many of the same features. Despite this, as a marsupial, it is unrelated to any of the Northern Hemisphere placental mammal predators.
Thylacinidae, including the thylacine, as the earliest diverging lineage of Dasyuromorphia, which also includes numbats, dunnarts, and Dasyuridae (which includes wambengers, quolls, and the Tasmanian devil, among numerous others). The cladogram below follows the results of genetic studies:
Thylacinus (thylacines)
Sminthopsis (dunnarts)
Phascogale (wambengers)
Sarcophilus (Tasmanian devil)
Phylogeny of Thylacinidae after Rovinsky et al. (2019)
Ngamalacinus timmulvaneyi
Thylacinus cynocephalus
Description
Descriptions of the thylacine come from preserved specimens, fossil records, skins, bones, and black-and-white photographs and film of the animal in captivity and in the wild. The thylacine looked like a large dog with short fur and a stiff tail that extended smoothly from the body, similar to a kangaroo’s tail. Adult thylacines stood about 60 cm (24 in) tall at the shoulder and measured 1–1.3 m (3.3–4.3 ft) in body length, not including the tail, which was 50–65 cm (20–26 in) long. Scientists have limited data about their weight, but estimates suggest they may have weighed between 15–35 kg (33–77 lb). A 2020 study of 93 adult specimens found that the average weight was 16.7 kg (37 lb), with a range of 9.8–28.1 kg (22–62 lb). Males were slightly larger than females on average, with males weighing about 19.7 kg (43 lb) and females about 13.7 kg (30 lb). The thylacine’s skull closely resembled that of canids, such as the red fox.
Thylacines had a unique feature among marsupials: their epipubic bones were mostly cartilage with very little bone. This trait was once thought to link them to sparassodonts, but recent research suggests both groups developed this trait independently. Their fur was yellow-brown with 15–20 dark stripes across the back, rump, and base of the tail, earning them the nickname "tiger." Stripes were more visible in young thylacines and faded with age. One stripe ran along the outside of the rear leg. Their fur was thick and soft, up to 15 mm (0.59 in) long. Color varied from light fawn to dark brown, with a cream-colored belly.
The thylacine’s ears were rounded and stood upright, about 8 cm (3.1 in) long, covered in short fur. Early studies suggested they had a strong sense of smell, but brain analysis showed their olfactory bulbs were not well developed. Scientists believe they likely relied more on sight and sound to hunt. A 2017 study compared the thylacine’s brain to that of the Tasmanian devil, finding the thylacine had a larger, more organized basal ganglion, which may relate to its predatory behavior. A 2023 study of the thylacine’s forebrain found it was similar to other dasyuromorph marsupials but different from canids.
The thylacine could open its jaws up to 80 degrees, a feature visible in a 1933 film of a captive thylacine. Its jaws were strong and had 46 teeth, but studies suggest they were not strong enough to kill sheep. The tail’s vertebrae were partially fused, limiting full tail movement. This fusion likely occurred as the animal matured. The tail tapered toward the tip, and juvenile thylacines had a ridge at the tip. Female thylacines had a pouch with four teats that opened toward the rear, unlike most other marsupials. Males had a unique scrotal pouch, allowing them to protect their scrotal sac.
Thylacine footprints were distinct from other animals, with a large rear pad and four front pads arranged in a nearly straight line. Their hindfeet had four digits, unlike the five on the forefeet. Their claws were non-retractable, and their plantar pad had three lobes separated by deep grooves. These features made their footprints different from those of dogs or foxes.
The thylacine had a stiff, awkward gait and could not run quickly. It could also hop on two legs, like a kangaroo, which some captive thylacines demonstrated. Scientists think this may have been used for quick movement when startled. The thylacine could stand on its hind legs briefly. Observers noted that it growled and hissed when agitated, often with a threat-yawn. During hunting, it made rapid, guttural barks (described as "yip-yap" or "hop-hop-hop") for communication. It also had a long whining cry for identification and a low snuffling sound for close communication. Some people described the thylacine as having a strong smell, while others noted a faint, clean odor or no smell at all. It may have released an odor when agitated, similar to the Tasmanian devil.
Distribution and habitat
The thylacine likely lived in dry eucalyptus forests, wetlands, and grasslands across mainland Australia. Rock paintings created by Indigenous Australians show that the thylacine was found throughout mainland Australia and New Guinea. Evidence that the animal lived in mainland Australia was found when a dried-out body was discovered in a cave on the Nullarbor Plain in Western Australia in 1990. Carbon dating showed the body was about 3,300 years old. Recently studied fossilized footprints suggest the thylacine also lived on Kangaroo Island. The farthest north the thylacine was found is in the Kiowa rock shelter in Chimbu Province, in the highlands of Papua New Guinea. This location dates to the Early Holocene, around 10,000–8,500 years before the present. In 2017, scientists White, Mitchell, and Austin analyzed thylacine mitochondrial genomes. Their study showed that thylacines on mainland Australia had split into eastern and western groups before the Last Glacial Maximum. By the time Europeans arrived in Tasmania, thylacines there had low genetic diversity.
In Tasmania, thylacines lived in woodlands of the midlands and coastal heath. These areas later became important for British settlers who wanted land for raising livestock. The thylacine’s striped pattern may have helped it blend into woodland areas. It may also have helped thylacines recognize each other. The typical area a thylacine lived in was between 40 and 80 kilometers. Thylacines did not seem to guard their territory, but groups larger than a family were sometimes seen together.
Ecology and behaviour
There is evidence that thylacines bred throughout the year, as records show joeys found in their mothers' pouches at any time of the year. However, the most common breeding times were during winter and spring. Each mother could have up to four young in a litter, though usually two or three. The young stayed in the pouch for about three months, and the mother protected them until they reached at least half the size of an adult. When the young were very small, they had no fur and could not see, but by the time they left the pouch, they had fully developed fur and open eyes. The young also had their own pouches, which became visible when they were about 9.5 weeks old. After leaving the pouch, the juveniles stayed in the lair while their mother hunted until they were old enough to help. Thylacines successfully bred only once in captivity, at Melbourne Zoo in 1899. In the wild, they likely lived 5 to 7 years, though some in captivity lived up to 9 years.
In 2018, Newton and others studied all preserved thylacine pouch young specimens by scanning them with a special type of X-ray called a CT scan. This helped scientists understand how the young developed inside their mothers’ pouches. The study showed new details about the thylacine’s growth, including how its limbs developed and when it looked more like a dog. Researchers found that two specimens in the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery were actually from a different species, leaving only 11 known pouch young specimens worldwide. One of four specimens at Museum Victoria was cut into slices, allowing scientists to study its internal tissues and learn more about the young thylacine’s biology.
The thylacine was an apex predator, but it is unclear how large its prey could be. It hunted at night and during twilight, resting during the day in caves or hollow tree trunks lined with twigs, bark, or ferns. It often stayed in hills and forests during the day and hunted in open areas at night. Observers noted that thylacines were usually shy and avoided humans, though they sometimes showed curiosity. Some people believed the thylacine was dangerous, likely because it was thought to threaten farming.
Historical records suggest that thylacines hunted small mammals and birds, with waterbirds like black ducks and coots being common prey. Other birds included Tasmanian nativehens, swamphens, herons, and black swans. They may have also hunted the now-extinct Tasmanian emu. The most common mammal prey was the red-necked wallaby, along with pademelons, echidnas, and other small marsupials like bandicoots and possums. Native rodents, such as water rats, were also likely prey. After European rabbits were introduced to Tasmania, thylacines sometimes hunted them. Some accounts suggest they may have also eaten lizards, frogs, and fish.
European settlers believed thylacines often attacked sheep and poultry, but studies by Robert Paddle found little evidence of this. Many sheep deaths were likely caused by feral dogs instead. In the 20th century, some people thought thylacines were mainly blood drinkers, but this idea likely came from one person’s secondhand account.
Recent studies suggest thylacines were not suited for hunting large prey. A 2007 study found that while their jaws could open wide like other predators that eat large prey, their teeth were not good for slashing bites. This suggests they hunted smaller prey alone. A 2011 study using computer models showed thylacines had weak jaws and could not handle prey much larger than 5 kg (11 lb), meaning they likely ate small animals like bandicoots, pademelons, and possums. Their teeth showed similar wear patterns to Tasmanian devils. A 2020 study estimated thylacines weighed about 16.7 kg (37 lb), supporting the idea they hunted smaller prey. Their skulls and faces also suggest they hunted prey less than 45% of their body size, similar to modern carnivores weighing under 21 kg (46 lb).
A 2005 study found thylacines had a high bite force, similar to quolls, which might have allowed them to hunt prey larger than their size. However, a 2007 study suggested their bite force was stronger than a dingo’s but still indicated they hunted smaller prey. A 2014 study compared thylacine skulls with those of other animals and found their longer snouts caused more stress, making them less suited for hunting large prey. This specialization for small prey might have made them vulnerable to changes in their environment.
Based on their teeth and limb bones, thylacines were likely solitary ambush predators, similar to smaller canids like coyotes. Their anatomy was not adapted for fast running or deep bites. Trappers described them as ambush hunters that hunted alone or in pairs at night. Their elbow and forelimb structure also supports this behavior.
Thylacines had strong stomachs that could stretch to hold large amounts of food, possibly to survive times when food was scarce. In captivity, they were fed many types of food, including dead rabbits.
Extinction
Australia lost more than 90% of its megafauna about 50,000 to 40,000 years ago during the Quaternary extinction event. Some species, like certain kangaroos, wombats, emus, cassowaries, large goannas, and the thylacine, survived. The extinct species included Thylacoleo carnifex, a large carnivore sometimes called the marsupial lion, which was only distantly related to the thylacine. A 2010 study suggested humans were likely a major cause of many extinctions in Australia, though the researchers noted that one factor alone might not explain all the losses. The youngest thylacine remains found on mainland Australia are about 3,500 years old, with an estimated extinction date of around 3,200 years ago. This time period overlaps with the arrival of dingoes in Australia and increased human activity. Recent discoveries in Arnhem Land, such as rock art, suggest the thylacine may have survived longer in some areas, though this is still uncertain.
A study proposed that dingoes may have caused the thylacine’s extinction on the mainland because they competed for prey, like the Tasmanian nativehen. Dingoes hunt in packs, while thylacines were more solitary. Skull studies show dingoes had weaker bites but stronger skulls, allowing them to take down larger prey. Thylacines, being hypercarnivores, ate mostly meat, making them less adaptable than omnivorous dingoes. Thylacine and dingo remains have been found near each other, suggesting their ranges overlapped. Indigenous people using dingoes for hunting may have also increased pressure on thylacine populations.
A 2013 study said dingoes were one factor in the thylacine’s decline, but larger causes included human population growth, technological advances, and climate changes. A 2025 study suggested genetic weaknesses from the thylacine’s evolutionary history made it more vulnerable to extinction. These traits, which could have helped it adapt to changes, were lost over time.
Ken Mulvaney noted that many rock carvings of thylacines on the Burrup Peninsula suggest Aboriginal people were aware of the species’ decline.
The thylacine survived on the island of Tasmania until the 1930s. When Europeans first settled there, thylacines were most common in the northeast, northwest, and north-midland regions, with an estimated 5,000 individuals. Though rarely seen, they were blamed for sheep attacks, leading to bounty programs. Between 1830 and 1909, the Tasmanian government paid for dead thylacines, with 2,184 bounties claimed. Many more were likely killed without being reported. The thylacine’s extinction is often linked to these efforts.
Other factors contributing to its decline include competition with wild dogs introduced by Europeans, habitat loss, low genetic diversity, prey declines, and a disease that affected captive and wild thylacines. A 2012 study said the disease was likely introduced by humans.
A 1921 photo of a thylacine with a chicken helped spread the idea that thylacines stole poultry. The image was cropped to hide the animal was in captivity, and research later suggested the thylacine was dead and posed for the photo.
By the late 1920s, thylacines were extremely rare. In 1928, a committee recommended creating a reserve to protect any remaining thylacines. However, by the early 20th century, zoos worldwide demanded captive thylacines, further stressing the population. Attempts to breed them in captivity failed, and the last thylacine outside Australia died in 1931.
The last known wild thylacine was shot in 1930 by a farmer in Tasmania. The animal, likely a male, had been near the farmer’s home for weeks.
A 2012 study found that thylacines in Tasmania had limited genetic diversity due to isolation from the mainland. Earlier research suggested this decline began as early as 70,000 to 120,000 years ago.
The thylacine was classified as endangered until the 1980s. International rules stated a species could not be declared extinct until 50 years without confirmed sightings. Since no thylacines were seen for over 50 years, it was declared extinct by the IUCN in 1982 and by Tasmania’s government in 1986. It was removed from CITES Appendix I in 2013.
The last thylacine in captivity, an endling, died at Hobart Zoo on September 7, 1936. It was captured illegally and sold to the zoo. Its remains were later stored in a museum but not properly recorded. The animal was rediscovered in the 1980s when a taxidermy record from 1936 or 1937 was found. This led to an audit of all thylacine remains in the museum.
Research
Research about thylacines depends on samples stored in museums and other organizations worldwide. The number and locations of these samples are listed in the International Thylacine Specimen Database. As of 2022, 756 samples are kept in 115 museums and university collections across 23 countries. In 2017, a reference library of 159 detailed images of thylacine hair was created together by CSIRO and Where Light Meets Dark.
The Australian Museum in Sydney started a cloning project in 1999. The goal was to use genetic material from thylacine samples collected in the early 1900s to create new individuals and bring the species back from extinction. Some scientists believed the project was more for public attention than real research. In late 2002, researchers successfully extracted usable DNA from the samples. On 15 February 2005, the museum announced it would stop the project. In May 2005, the project was restarted by a group of universities and a research institute.
In August 2022, the University of Melbourne announced a partnership with a biotechnology company in Texas called Colossal Biosciences to recreate the thylacine using its closest living relative, the fat-tailed dunnart, and reintroduce it to Tasmania. The university had recently completed the full DNA sequence of a young thylacine sample and was creating a laboratory for genetic restoration. The research was led by Andrew Pask. Other scientists not involved in the project expressed doubt about its success.
A draft of the full DNA sequence of the thylacine was created in 2017 by Feigin and others using DNA from a preserved pouch of a young specimen provided by Museums Victoria. Scientists also studied the early life stages of the thylacine by examining preserved pouch young samples from several museums. Researchers used the DNA sequence to learn about the thylacine’s evolution, its relationships with other animals, and changes in its population over time.
In 2019, scientists studied how the thylacine and grey wolf evolved to look similar, finding many parts of their DNA changed quickly, which may indicate important genetic functions. In 2021, researchers linked the similar shapes of the thylacine and wolf skulls to specific genetic factors. These skull bones develop from a shared group of cells called neural crest cells, which showed strong similarities between the two species. In 2023, scientists extracted RNA from a 130-year-old thylacine sample in Sweden, the first time RNA was taken from an extinct animal. In October 2024, a nearly complete DNA sequence (99.9%) of the thylacine was created from a well-preserved 110-year-old skull. The full genome of the species was completed three months later.
Cultural significance
The thylacine is an important symbol in Tasmania. It appears on the official Tasmanian coat of arms. It is also used in the logos for the Tasmanian government and the City of Launceston. The University of Tasmania includes the thylacine on its ceremonial mace, and the submarine HMAS Dechaineux has the animal on its badge. Since 1998, the thylacine has been shown on Tasmanian vehicle number plates. Postage stamps from Australia, Equatorial Guinea, and Micronesia also feature the thylacine.
National Threatened Species Day in Australia is celebrated every year on September 7. This date marks when the last known thylacine died in 1936.
The thylacine is a well-known cultural symbol in Australia. The most famous images of the animal were drawn by John Gould in his book The Mammals of Australia (1845–1863). These drawings were often copied and later used on a label by Cascade Brewery in 1987. The Tasmanian government also published a black-and-white version of the same image in 1934. The author Louisa Anne Meredith included the image in her book Tasmanian Friends and Foes (1881). The thylacine is the mascot for the Tasmanian cricket team. Some postage stamps with Australian animals and Mickey Mouse characters include a thylacine.
In video games, a character named Ty the Tasmanian Tiger, who uses a boomerang, stars in a trilogy from the 2000s. A villain named Tiny Tiger in the Crash Bandicoot series is a mutated thylacine. In the game Valorant, an agent named Skye can use a Tasmanian tiger to help find enemies and clear areas.
The thylacine has appeared in films and television shows. A cartoon from the early 1990s called Taz-Mania includes a character named Wendell T. Wolf, who is the last surviving Tasmanian wolf. A 2011 movie called The Hunter is based on a book by Julia Leigh. It features Willem Dafoe as a man who searches for the thylacine. In the 2021 movie Extinct, a thylacine named Burnie helps characters travel through time to save extinct animals. In the 2022 science-fiction show The Peripheral, scientists bring the thylacine back to life using DNA. An animated web series called "De-extincting Tasie" explains how scientists might revive the species. It features a thylacine named Tasie, inspired by the character Mr. DNA from Jurassic Park.
Artwork showing animals similar to the thylacine is found in Northern Australia, especially in the Kimberley region.
Many Aboriginal Tasmanian names for the thylacine have been recorded, such as coorinna, kanunnah, cab-berr-one-nen-er, loarinna, laoonana, can-nen-ner, lagunta, and kaparunina in Palawa kani.
A Nuenonne myth tells of a thylacine pup that saved Palana, a spirit boy, from a giant kangaroo. Palana painted the pup’s back with ochre to honor its bravery, which is why thylacines have stripes. A constellation called "Wurrawana Corinna" (near Gemini) was created to remember this story.
An early European record describes how Aboriginal people believed bad weather happened if a thylacine’s body was left outside without being covered.