tasmanian tigers

fredriksam · Post by **fredriksam** » Sun Sep 24, 2006 12:27 pm

Hey, is there anyone here interrested in these animals? I for one are. Its said the last one died in 1936 but people has seen them later. Do we have any users from Australia that knows more about these faboulus animals?

I have been in Australia one time but sadly we didnt saw any tigers. They are rumored to be most in the gippsland region. I have seen a website where people can tell about what they have seen. Sadly that site seems to have died. Hopes they open it soon again.

Border Walker · Post by **Border Walker** » Sun Sep 24, 2006 12:33 pm

I've heard about these creatures before, how they were hunted originally, I think for their pelts, or fear. However, there have been sightings. I for one am interested in the possibility of these creatures still living. After scientists discovered a living colenicanth(sp?) fish after beliving it has been extinct for thousands of years, I belive no animal that doesn't excede the size of the Dinos can truly become extinct.

So much of the world is unrexplored, and so much of animal species have yet to be discovered, that perhaps when we humans think a species is extinct, it actually isn't, but that there is so few of the species, we cannot find them on a normal basis. perhaps this is what happened to the Tasmanian Tigers, we think there extinct, but a small number still survive.

Searif · Post by **Searif** » Sun Sep 24, 2006 1:16 pm

Wow, did you watch Monster Hunters too

seems so odd that you would mention a couple of days after I watch that show that talked about them.

Kirk Hammett · Post by **Kirk Hammett** » Mon Sep 25, 2006 8:49 am

I presume you mean the Thylacine. They are as you know also called Tasmanian wolves or Tasmanian tigers but both terms are equally incorrect, since it is a marsupial and one of the last megafauna to go extinct I think in the 30's in a zoo but I'm unsure of the date. She was a lone female, you can find her photo online I'll bet.

Here: http://www.epa.qld.gov.au/images/nature ... lacine.jpg
http://www.dpiw.tas.gov.au/inter.nsf/We ... 3777B?open
(Heart wrenching images and information...damned hunters!!)

They were actually outcompeted by the dingo and also hunted to extinction later on in Tasmania. They were widespread on the mainland but with the arrival of dingoes a few thousand years ago, their niche was just taken over.

The coelocanth (Im also unsure of the spelling, but I know it's pronounced 'Seelocanth') is but one of many unchanged specimens and also one I'm very interested in. Australia in particular has a very facinating natural history, being so isolated for so long. Unfortunately extinction is needed for evolution to occur, there must be death for life. So millions of creatures go extinct every day even without human interference. If their environment hasn't changed, thats where you'll find ancient species like the fish and a hell of a lot of plants. I'd love to discover dinosaurs somewhere but it just isn't happening...or an Andrewsarchus.

Andrewsarchus: (Related to hoofed animals, not wolves or cats or hyenas).

http://www.museon.nl/NR/rdonlyres/4E472 ... chus01.JPG
http://www.abc.net.au/beasts/evidence/prog2/page5.htm

(You can tell I love ancient living things...of any living kingdom! I swear...ancient plants are so cool!)

I believe it's always possible there are some Thylacines, but the population would have to be large enough to florish, and since they are hunters they need big territories. Thus they'd have to cover quite a large area to be thriving unless they are hanging on by a thread like, unfortunately, much of our fauna and flora. Australia is quite dangerous for anyone except a seriously well trained person, or an Indigenous person, to travel in. If you look around the net you will see several sighting stories.

It's a real pity because they were gorgeous, like so many other animals to go exctinct unecessarily.

We also had another predator in the ice age called a Thylacoleo (http://www.naturalworlds.org/thylacoleo/index.htm), named for its feline qualities, although we're much more closely related to Simba than Thylacoleo is...

it's just convergent evolution.

http://images.encarta.msn.com/xrefmedia ... 10227A.gif

The thylacine was our wolf

. And our dingo is I guess our wolf, although they were introduced.

MoonKit · Post by **MoonKit** » Mon Sep 25, 2006 11:47 am

Ive always had an interest in them too. he black and white minute videos you see online featuring the last thylacine is very sad.

But there are reported sightings every year.

White Paw · Post by **White Paw** » Mon Sep 25, 2006 12:04 pm

wow..ive never seen that before......

lupine · Post by **lupine** » Mon Sep 25, 2006 12:17 pm

What's the Tesmanian Devil then?

Short Tail · Post by **Short Tail** » Mon Sep 25, 2006 2:33 pm

Ah yes, beggining to enter the realm of Cryptozoology. I did a research project on this field back in highschool. I would suggest http://www.cryptozoology.com/cryptids.php if you are intrested in any of these kinds of animals

lupine · Post by **lupine** » Mon Sep 25, 2006 2:36 pm

I thought it was an actual animal, like a small wolverine?

The thick Welshman Strikes Again!!!

lupine · Post by **lupine** » Mon Sep 25, 2006 2:48 pm

OOOH! look what I found....http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tasmanian_Devil

WereDog · Post by **WereDog** » Tue Sep 26, 2006 10:20 am

I saw a documentary about a couple of people who were planning to clone them from one they have had in a jar for a hundred years. that would be nice.

also, Howling 3

MoonKit · Post by **MoonKit** » Tue Sep 26, 2006 3:49 pm

WereDog wrote:I saw a documentary about a couple of people who were planning to clone them from one they have had in a jar for a hundred years. that would be nice.

also, Howling 3

Yeah, they're not doing it anymore. They dont quite have the technology yet and the DNA kind of got old and destroyed.

It would have been interesting to see what species they would use for surrogate mother.

Kirk Hammett · Post by **Kirk Hammett** » Tue Sep 26, 2006 9:09 pm

The Howling 3 is awesome, I've got it! And The Howling 1.

The problem with resurrecting these animals is where would you put them? You can't reintroduce them unless you culled every single dingo or put aside a reserve for them. But they'd never be able to thrive and live naturally. They'd kill many more endangered marsupials and rodents and birds, because two predators is gonna put a strain on the ecosystem. Keeping them in cages is beyond cruel.

What do I think is worse than this?

Resurrecting mammoths. The stupidest idea yet.

I admit seeing these guys alive would be awesome, but the consequences are too high. Unless they found some island they could ... ya know ... Jurassic Park, Dinotopia...yeah...

Jamie · Post by **Jamie** » Tue Sep 26, 2006 11:02 pm

Kirk Hammett wrote:I presume you mean the Thylacine. They are as you know also called Tasmanian wolves or Tasmanian tigers but both terms are equally incorrect, since it is a marsupial and one of the last megafauna to go extinct I think in the 30's in a zoo but I'm unsure of the date. She was a lone female, you can find her photo online I'll bet.

I've got a page about them at http://www.newanimal.org/thylacine.htm