The Tasmanian Tiger, also known as Thylacine or Tasmanian wolf was the largest carnivorous marsupial in modern times.
It earned its name due to the stripes on its lower back. Although sharing the similarities of both tigers and wolfs, it was neither.
They were declared extinct in 1936, with the last known dying in Hobart Zoo, Tasmania. Intensive hunting on Tasmania is generally blamed for its extinction, but other contributing factors were disease, the introduction of and competition with dingoes, human encroachment into its habitat and climate change.
They were called marsupials because they had pouches like kangaroos. The males used theirs as a protective covering, shielding their external sexual organs. The females used theirs for rearing the young.
They possessed stiff tails and could open their jaws to an unusual extent. With a bite force of about 166 psi they hunted small to medium sized preys.
The thylacine has been used extensively as a symbol of Tasmania. The animal is featured on the official coat of arms of Tasmania. On 7 September, the date in 1936 on which the last known thylacine died, National Threatened Species Day is commemorated in Australia.
The Tasmanian Tiger was a shy creature that avoided humans. Known attacks of these creatures on humans are very rare.