Tasmanian Tiger: Alive or Extinct?

You may have heard of the Tasmanian devil, but how about the Tasmanian tiger? The largest of the carnivorous marsupials, Thylacinus cynocephalus is believed to have gone extinct 80 years ago. Yet reports of recent encounters have left some questioning whether the Tasmanian tiger still exists.

Tasmania is an island state off the southern coast of Australia, home to an assortment of fictitious-sounding wildlife—pademelons, platypus, echidnas, wombats, wallabies, forester kangaroos, fairy penguins, Tasmanian devils and quolls. This remote land was also home to Tasmanian tigers until farmers began slaughtering them by the thousands for snatching sheep. In 1936, after years of being hunted, and the Tasmanian tiger was declared extinct.

However, a government document, opens in new tab released by Tasmania’s Department of Primary Industries, Parks, Water and Environment has recorded accounts of nine sightings over the past few years. Hard evidence has yet to prove these claims, leaving local people to wonder whether these assertations are real or unfounded. Nevertheless, travelers on a Nat Hab trip to Tasmania, Kangaroo Island & Australia’s Southern Coast should keep their eyes peeled for this unique marsupial.