Is the Tasmanian wolf still alive?

Answer 1

The Thylacine (Thylacinus cynocephalus, also known as the Tasmanian Tiger and sometimes the Tasmanian Wolf), became extinct during the 20th century. The last known specimen died in the Hobart Zoo on 7 September 1936.

It was hunted to extinction after a bounty was placed on it as a livestock killer. Thylacines were blamed for numerous attacks on sheep and other livestock. This led to bounty hunters being paid in an effort to control their numbers. There were bounties placed on the Tasmanian wolf as early as 1830. Between 1888 and 1909 the government paid £1 per head for the animal (10 shillings for pups).

There is disputed evidence that a very small number may yet still exist in the Tasmanian wilderness, but nobody has seen, photographed or trapped one.

A recent attempt was made to clone one, but failed due to the DNA being of insufficient quality.

It is likely that several factors led to its decline and eventual extinction, including competition with wild dogs and erosion of habitat. The needs of captive thylacines were not understood, and many of them died due to exposure.

Fossil evidence shows that the Thylacine was once common throughout mainland Australia and even New Guinea. It is believed they became extinct on the Australian mainland due to not being able to compete with the dingo for food, once the dingo arrived from Asia.

Answer 2

Tasmanian devils and Tasmanian tigers are two different animals.

• The Tasmanian devil still exists in the wild but only on Tasmania. They are on the endangered list.
• The last known Tasmanian tiger died in captivity in 1936 and was officially declared extinct in 1986. According to the internet, there have been thousands of reported sightings in recent years on the Australian mainland, including some blurry videos. But no hard evidence has been presented - such as a captured animal, DNA, or a carcass. There has been some speculation that these sightings could be subgroups of the original Tasmanian tiger.