Thylacine

The thylacine ( THY-luh-seen; Thylacinus cynocephalus), also commonly known as the Tasmanian tiger, Tasmanian wolf or marsupial wolf, is an extinct species of carnivorous marsupial formerly native to the Australian mainland, Tasmania and New Guinea. It became extinct on mainland Australia and New Guinea approximately 3,600–3,200 years ago, possibly following the arrival of the dingo, which was introduced to Australia around the same period but never reached Tasmania. Prior to European settlement, the species remained widespread in Tasmania, where its population was estimated to number several thousand individuals. During the 19th century, the species was increasingly persecuted because of its perceived threat to livestock, with government-sponsored bounty schemes encouraging its extermination. The last known individual died at Hobart Zoo in Tasmania on 7 September 1936.

Abridged excerpt from the Wikipedia article Thylacine, by its authors, under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.