Thylacine

The Thylacine is a marsupial native to Tasmania, also known as the Tasmanian tiger or Tasmanian wolf. Hunted into extinction by ranchers and bounty collectors, the last Thylacine is believed to have died in captivity in 1936.

While undisputably a marsupial, the thylacine bears a remarkable resemblance to the common dog. The primary visible distinctions between the two are its tail, which smoothly extends off the body like a kangaroo; several stripes ordered vertically across its hind quarters; and its amazingly large gape of mouth. Of course it also had a pouch.

Though it is presumed extinct, sightings are still occasionally claimed in Tasmania and other parts of Australia, and even in the British Isles! See also Cryptozoology.

External link:

• The Thylacine Museum (http://livingplanet.virtualave.net/thylacine/thylacine.htm) is an online reference guide to the thylacine.