Why is the Tasmanian tiger a part of history?

Answer 1

The Tasmanian tiger is a part of history because it is no longer alive. More properly known as the Thylacine, it was a carnivorous marsupial predator (or dasyurid) that lived in the Australian island state of Tasmania. It was similar to a dog and is believed to now be extinct, although there are always unconfirmed sightings. Originally it lived throughout the Australian continent and even New Guinea, but the arrival of the dingo some 500 years ago wiped out the thylacine's population.

The Thylacine was permitted to be hunted to extinction as Tasmanian settlers were concerned that they posed a threat to livestock. The last known thylacine died in the Hobart zoo in 1936.

The thylacine is a part of our history because it is a classic case of how European settlement directly caused the extinction of some species of native Australian animals.