Tasmanian Tiger - Remains Of The Last Thylacine Have Been Discovered In A Cupboard After 85 Years

After being missing for 85 years, the last known Tasmanian tiger was discovered in a museum storage closet in Australia. After the thylacine died in 1936, the zoo donated its corpse to a museum in Hobart.

Decades passed without anyone discovering the final resting place of the Tasmanian tiger or thylacine. They were in plain sight at Australia's Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery (TMAG), where they remained unidentified for over eighty years.

However, the fate of its bones and skin has remained a mystery. It was assumed that the skeletons had been thrown away after the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery lost track of them.

What Happened To The Tiger?

The thylacine, which was roughly the size of a coyote, became extinct over the world except in Tasmania some 2,000 years ago. Its function in the island's environment was crucial since it was the sole living marsupial apex predator, but this also made it unpopular with people.

COPYRIGHT_WI: Published on https://washingtonindependent.com/tasmanian-tiger/ by William Willis on 2022-12-06T06:02:20.388Z

European settlers in Tasmania in the 1800s mistook the elusive, nocturnal behavior of thylacines for that of a threat to their cattle, leading them to kill these animals to extinction.

According to a TMAG press release on Monday, an elderly female thylacine was taken by a trapper and sold to a zoo in May 1936.

After many more months, the animal passed away, and its corpse was brought to the museum. The announcement said that the zoo did not keep records of the transaction since ground-based snaring was unlawful and may have resulted in a citation for the trapper.

The museum's researchers and employees missed the boat on the thylacine's significance.

Discovery Of Thylacine Skeleton

According to the press release, after the thylacine was delivered to TMAG, its skin was removed and its skeleton was dismantled to become part of an education collection utilized by museum educators to educate students about thylacine anatomy.

People across the globe at the time wrongly believed that a thylacine that had passed away at the Beaumaris Zoo in Hobart on September 7, 1936, was the last of its kind.

An unpublished report by a museum taxidermist revealed the error just recently. After the last thylacine was identified, an examination of all thylacine skins and bones at TMAG was conducted after a report from 1936-1937 noted a thylacine among the specimens worked on that year.

Scientific attempts to revive the Tasmanian tiger using techniques like ancient DNA extraction, gene editing, and artificial reproduction have been making news again in recent years.

Final Words

There is currently an exhibit in the Hobart museum where you can see the skin and bones. Tasmanian tigers were formerly thought to be widespread over Australia, but they suffered population declines due to competition with people and dingoes. In the end, the marsupial was only found in Tasmania, and it was hunted to extinction there.

About The Authors

William Willis - William Willis is a freelance writer and social media manager who specializes in assisting finance professionals and Fintech entrepreneurs in growing their online audience and attracting more paying customers. William worked as a bank teller and virtual assistant for financial firms in the United States and the United Kingdom for six years before beginning her writing career. William is a strong force in the workplace, inspiring others to work hard and excel with his optimistic attitude and boundless energy. He enjoys hiking, crocheting, and playing video games with his children in his spare time.