Tasmanian tiger or marsupial wolf

This animal has a lot of names, only you can not see it on Earth. The beast is called "tasman marsupial wolf", "tilatsin", "volkogolovy opossum" and even "zebra wolf". According to the preserved photographs, the head and body of the animal are related to it with the gray predator of our forests, and the tiger was christened because of clear transverse black-brown strips on the back and sides. But with a more detailed study, it is striking that in the shape of the ears and muzzle, tail and especially curved hind legs, the extinct animal is more like marsupials, and the dermal bag on the belly completely eliminates all doubts in this question. So what do we now know about this mysterious being?

Tilatsin as a species appeared about 35 million years ago in the north of the South American continent. After some time he settled the entire continent, penetrated into Antarctica (which at that time was not completely covered with ice), and through it got to New Guinea, Tasmania and Australia. About 8 million years ago, South and North America merged, and the golden age of tilatsin ended: from the north came placental beasts, and marsupials, as more primitive, had to retreat. With climate change, the species died out in Antarctica. About seven thousand years ago (this is the age of its most recent fossil remains), the marsupial predator disappeared on New Guinea - possibly due to a viral infection. About two thousand years ago, the aborigines of Australia brought a dingo dog, which destroyed the tilacin population on the Green Continent.

As a result, when the first Europeans arrived in Australia, the marsupial wolf was preserved only on the island of Tasmania. At first, Europeans-convicts did not oppress this animal very much. However, with the beginning of the breeding of the sheep of the largest marsupial predator, people were put on the "black list". Wolves began to be mercilessly exterminated. To top it all off, in the early twentieth century, a pandemic of canine plague broke out on the island, to which the tilacins were also susceptible. Despite the fact that after the disease some individuals survived, this endangered species was not brought under the state law on the protection of the fauna of 1928 in the list of protected animals. The last wild wolf was killed in 1930, and in 1936 in the zoo of the Australian city of Hobart, the last wolf died in old age, who lived in captivity.

And only with the death of the latter on the planet of the specimen of the Tasmanian tiger, mankind was alarmed: in 1938 hunting was forbidden to him. Despite the fact that from time to time there are reports that a similar animal was seen, heard, found traces of its paws, etc., the marsupial wolf is officially declared an extinct species. However, just in case, in 1963, the Tasmanian authorities established a sanctuary around Lake St. Clair. With the development of genetic engineering , hopes were again revived to "revive" tilatsin, which had sunk into oblivion. In 1999, work began on deciphering the DNA of the animal. Experiments aimed at possible cloning of the beast continue, but so far have not yielded any results.

For today we have only descriptions of the appearance of the animal and photos of not too good quality. The marsupial wolf was like an average sand-colored dog. With a slow pace, the beast moved like a dog, and with a quick run galloped like a kangaroo. And the strange animal had an amazing mouth: it swung open 120 degrees! The teeth of tylacins were larger than those of wolves, and the strength of the jaws was able to break the bones of prey. The Tasmanian tiger fed mainly opossums, small kangaroos, reptiles and birds.

The marsupial wolf does not cease to torment the conscience of mankind with his demonstrative destiny. People refuse to believe that this beast left us forever. There is still a hope that the predator, taught by the bitter experience of dealing with people, still lives in the hard-to-reach mountainous forests of Tasmania. Ted Turner, an American publisher, offered a reward of one hundred thousand dollars to someone who can catch live tilatsin. Recently, The Bulletin magazine raised the cost of the award to 1.25 million Australian dollars.