VNOnce thought to be extinct since the 1930s, the Tasmanian tiger may still exist somewhere out there.
The Tasmanian tiger may still exist somewhere out there?
Benjamin was believed to be the last known specimen of the Tasmanian tiger and it died in captivity at the Beaumaris Zoo in 1936, marking another milestone in the extinction of Australia’s unique creatures.
On September 7, 1936, the last known Tasmanian tiger died while in captivity at the Beaumaris Zoo in Hobart, Australia.
However, last month, the Department of Primary Industries, Parks, Water, and Environment (DPIPWE) of Tasmania released some documents revealing that Australian citizens have reported sightings of the Tasmanian tiger. In the past two years, there have been eight reported sightings, with the most recent one in July 2019.
This creature is also known as the Tasmanian wolf due to its dog-like appearance, or the Tasmanian tiger due to its yellow-brown fur and a black-striped pattern on its lower back and tail. However, in reality, they are members of the thylacine family, carnivorous marsupials.
The prey of the Tasmanian tiger usually includes kangaroos, wombats, and occasionally sheep and livestock, which made them a nuisance to British colonists who settled in Tasmania in 1803.
Is the Tasmanian tiger extinct yet?
And only about 130 years later, the last remaining wild Tasmanian tigers were believed to have been hunted to extinction by humans, and that’s all we know about this mysterious animal. However, because of this, some experts and hunters still believe that they are not truly extinct, and the Tasmanian tiger may still be hiding somewhere out there.
Two years ago, a couple claimed to have seen an animal that they were “100% sure” was a Tasmanian tiger near Corinna, Tasmania.
“The animal had a stiff and sturdy tail, thick at the base. It had vertical stripes along its back,” as quoted in a report. “It was the size of an Australian Kelpie sheepdog – a very efficient working dog for herding livestock, weighing around 20kg, which are quite versatile for Australian farmers.”
Another sighting of the Tasmanian tiger occurred in February 2018 in western Tasmania, about 120 miles north of Hobart. The report described “a creature resembling a large cat-like animal” with black stripes on the back of its body.
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When did the tasmanian tiger go extinct?
Since the extinction of this tiger species in 1936, Tasmania’s Parks and Wildlife Service has investigated over 400 reported sightings. However, no one has provided conclusive evidence, and even the Australian government has apprehended individuals submitting anonymous reports.
“All the reports seem to be of no value,” said Nick Mooney, the wildlife biologist currently in charge of investigating the existence of the Tasmanian tiger. “Hundreds of times, we’ve been to the locations based on the reports, but really couldn’t find anything.”
In September 2017, a group called the Booth Richardson Tiger Team sparked a sensation by releasing video clips and images of an unidentified creature’s snout. The group captured the footage with a camera on a trail in the Tasmanian wilderness.
“We’re 100% convinced that it’s a thylacine,” tiger expert Adrian Richardson said in a press conference after releasing the video.
However, Mooney remains skeptical. “The first feeling I had was excitement,” he told Gizmodo, but he is not certain the recorded images depict a Tasmanian tiger. Nevertheless, from a more optimistic perspective, there is a possibility that one of the three scenarios shows a Tasmanian tiger that may not be extinct.
Unlike most other marsupials, both male and female Tasmanian tigers possess pouches, scientifically known as Thylacinus cynocephalus, loosely translated as “dog-headed pouched animal.”
According to American scientist Richard K. Nelson, “The thylacine is one of the most extraordinary animals on Earth—it looks like a kangaroo but is built to be a wolf.”
The Tasmanian tiger has a stiff, kangaroo-like tail, short legs, and a jaw with 40 to 50 sharp teeth. They can live up to seven years in the wild.
These creatures are solitary hunters and are often nocturnal. They communicate with each other through hoarse barking sounds, or a noise “resembling a dog panting,” according to the Tasmanian government.
