Thylacine
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The thylacine (Thylacinus cynocephalus), more commonly known as the Tasmanian wolf or Tasmanian tiger, was the largest modern marsupial carnivore until it went extinct in 1936.[1] Thylacines first evolved around 23 million years ago[2] and have become practically marsupial dogs[3], both having adapted to similar niches. In their prime, thylacines were the apex predators of New Guinea, Australia and Tasmania.[4] More than 4000 years ago, Asian traders introduced dingoes to Australia.[5]. As it happened so often, the placental mammal out-competed the marsupial (aided by European ranchers who didn't want their sheep massacred) and thylacines became extinct on the main island of Australia. A population persisted on Tasmania, but hunting continued and in 1936, the species became extinct.
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[edit] Cryptozoology
Despite its extinction, some 3800 unconfirmed sightings of the thylacine have been reported[6]. In addition, there are the usual dubious photographs and government funded searches that turn up nothing[7][8] Some sightings apparently even come from mainland Australia and New Guinea,[9] where thylacines have been extinct for literally thousands of years.[10]
[edit] Cloning and genetics
In 1999 a project to clone the thylacine began, and even claimed a breakthrough.[11] Unfortunately, the project was canceled in 2005.[12] Some work has been done since on thylacine genetics, including the sequencing of the thylacine mitochondrial genome, and possibly getting the nuclear genome for $1 million.[13]
[edit] See also
- Pyrenean Ibex - A species that went extinct, got cloned back, and became extinct again.
[edit] Footnotes
- ↑ ICUN on Tylacinus cynocephalus
- ↑ Dickson's thylacine, Nimbacinus dicksoni
- ↑ Richard Dawkins once said in The Ancestor's Tale "...the skeleton [of a thylacine] is harder to distinguish [from a dog]. Zoology students at Oxford had to identify 100 zoological specimens as part of the final exam. Word soon got around that, if ever a 'dog' skull was given, it was safe to identify it as Thylacinus on the grounds that anything as obvious as a dog skull had to be a catch."
- ↑ Australian Museum: The Thylacine
- ↑ Mitochondrial DNA data indicate an introduction through Mainland Southeast Asia for Australian dingoes and Polynesian domestic dogs
- ↑ Australian Rare Fauna Research Association FAQ
- ↑ The Sydney Morning Herald:Tourist claims to have snapped Tasmanian tiger
- ↑ The Sydney Morning Herald:Mystery that burns so bright
- ↑ The Cryptid Zoo:Thyacine
- ↑ Paddle, Robert (2000). The Last Tasmanian Tiger: the History and Extinction of the Thylacine. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-53154-2
- ↑ The Guardian:Back from the dead
- ↑ ABC News Online: Museum ditches thylacine cloning project via the Wayback Machine
- ↑ NCBI:The mitochondrial genome sequence of the Tasmanian tiger (Thylacinus cynocephalus)