Thylacine
Australia, New Zealand, Oceania
Description
- Also called the Tasmanian Tiger, the Thylacine is an endangered species in Australia. It is widely believed to be extinct.
- It is a very strange creature. It is referred to as a tiger, but it looks like a dog. However, it is really a marsupial.
- An average full grown Thylacine may weigh from 20 to 30 Kilograms, be 50 to 60 centimeters in height, and 6 feet in length.(A)
Where does the Thylacine belong in the food chain?
- The Thylacine is a carnivore. It didn't have many predators until humans came.
- It's prey were wallaby, rabbits, birds, sheep, and injured/sick kangaroos.
- Thylacines eating sheep out of flocks was the main reason it was hunted and viewed as a pest.
- Its disappearance has had an effect on these species.(like overpopulation)(A)
Habitat
- Tasmania is a very mountainous terrain.
- It has very tropical weather, as it is an island in Australia.
- Similarly to lions or wolves, Thylacines make their homes in the form of dens.(A)
How did the Thylacine adapt to its environment?
- The Thylacine has a dirt colored coat of fur with stripes on it. This helps blend into its environment.
- It also has a pouch, just like kangaroos.
- Due to its diet on small prey, the Thylacine's jaws are thin. However, they can extend like a snake's, something for which the Thylacine is known.
- The mountainous terrain requires it to jump a lot, which explains its long legs.(A)
Critical Information
- Thylacines have been sighted by tourists, but are considered extinct. This means it isn't too late yet.
- The extinction of Thylacines has left a huge scar in the ecosystem of Tasmania that still is present today.
- The last known thylacine died in 1936 in the Hobart zoo.(A)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yoE0m3mLuHA