Showing posts with label Tasmanian tiger. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Tasmanian tiger. Show all posts
Friday, February 17, 2012
SXSW Announces Features Lineup For 2012 Film Festival
The Hunter (Australia)
Director: Daniel Nettheim, Screenplay by: Alice Addison, Novel by: Julia Leigh, Original Adaptation by: Wain Fimeri
A mercenary is dispatched from Europe to the Tasmanian wilderness by a mysterious biotech company to search for the last surviving Tasmanian tiger.
Cast: Willem Dafoe, Frances O’Connor, Sam Neill (U.S. Premiere)
http://insidepulse.com/2012/02/01/sxsw-announces-features-lineup-for-2012-film-festival/
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Trail bikers find suspected tasmanian tiger skull
Two trail bike riders claim to have discovered what could be the skull of a tasmanian tiger while filming during a ride through bushland.
The skull is being scientifically evaluated this morning.
Brothers Levi and Jarom Triffitt are members of the Tassie Boys, a group of stunt trail bike riders based in central northern Tasmania.
They say they were riding in bushland last week while filming stunts for a promotional video when they came across the skull.
They say it is unlike anything they have ever seen before, and closely resembles the skull of a thylacine.
"Lot's of people think 'dog', but when you actually get on Google and compare it to your normal dogs that are in Tasmania, the closest thing we could find it to was an American timber wolf, which I don't believe we have here," Jarom said.
The last known tasmanian tiger died in the Hobart Zoo in 1936.
Levi denies the find is a hoax.
"We were just having a regular day - just doing some photography and filming," he said.
The brothers plan to have the skull checked in Launceston this morning.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-01-16/tests-conducted-on-tasmanian-tiger-skull/3773762
Thursday, October 6, 2011
Tasmanian Tiger rears its head in Daisy Hill (via Chad Arment)
FIRST there was reports of a black panther at Eagleby, and now Daisy Hill residents Lisa and Sean Smith believe they have spotted the extinct Tasmanian Tiger.
The world's last captive Tasmanian Tiger died in Hobart Zoo in 1936.
However, Mrs Smith said one could very well be living in the Daisy Hill Forest.
``A few years ago we were standing in the back yard and we (husband Sean and father Barry) saw this fox-like creature staring at us,'' she said.
``Then we looked at it properly and it didn't look like a fox at all, it had a long thin whippy tail, stripes on its back and it was a lot bigger than a fox.
``A few years ago we were in Tasmania and saw this book (on Tasmanian Tigers), and thought it looked a lot like what we saw. We sight it every now and then and can hear it screaming and making noises at night.''
With their home backing on to the Kimberly Forest Park which connects to Daisy Hill Forest, Mrs Smith said there was definitely something interesting in there.
``I'm happy to think something like the Tasmanian Tiger defied the odds and survived. We're trying to take a photo for proof next time we see it, but sometimes we won't see it for a year, then it comes back.''
According to the Tasmanian Government's Department of Primary Industrys, Parks, Water and Environment, the thylacine (Tasmanian Tiger), was the the world's largest marsupial carnivore and fossils and Aboriginal rock paintings showed that the thylacine once lived throughout Australia and New Guinea.
http://www.couriermail.com.au/questnews/logan/tasmanian-tiger-rears-its-head-in-daisy-hill/story-fn8m0u8i-1226158325064
The world's last captive Tasmanian Tiger died in Hobart Zoo in 1936.
However, Mrs Smith said one could very well be living in the Daisy Hill Forest.
``A few years ago we were standing in the back yard and we (husband Sean and father Barry) saw this fox-like creature staring at us,'' she said.
``Then we looked at it properly and it didn't look like a fox at all, it had a long thin whippy tail, stripes on its back and it was a lot bigger than a fox.
``A few years ago we were in Tasmania and saw this book (on Tasmanian Tigers), and thought it looked a lot like what we saw. We sight it every now and then and can hear it screaming and making noises at night.''
With their home backing on to the Kimberly Forest Park which connects to Daisy Hill Forest, Mrs Smith said there was definitely something interesting in there.
``I'm happy to think something like the Tasmanian Tiger defied the odds and survived. We're trying to take a photo for proof next time we see it, but sometimes we won't see it for a year, then it comes back.''
According to the Tasmanian Government's Department of Primary Industrys, Parks, Water and Environment, the thylacine (Tasmanian Tiger), was the the world's largest marsupial carnivore and fossils and Aboriginal rock paintings showed that the thylacine once lived throughout Australia and New Guinea.
http://www.couriermail.com.au/questnews/logan/tasmanian-tiger-rears-its-head-in-daisy-hill/story-fn8m0u8i-1226158325064
Friday, September 2, 2011
Tasmanian tiger's jaws were too weak to kill sheep
At the end of the 19th Century, the thylacine had a price on its head.
The strange marsupial carnivore, which became extinct in 1936, was thought to kill sheep. Sheep farming was the backbone of the Australian economy, and the government duly set up a bounty scheme to exterminate the species.
But a new study has now revealed that the marsupial carnivore's jaws were too weak to snare a struggling adult sheep.
The findings are reported in the Journal of Zoology.
As well as revealing the injustice of its being hunted, the study also suggests that the animal's diet contributed significantly to its demise.
"So just small disturbances to the ecosystem - such as those resulting from the way European settlers altered the land - would have reduced their odds of survival."
Thursday marks the 75th anniversary of the death of what is believed to have been the last remaining thylacine, named Ben. The animal was kept at Hobart Zoo in Tasmania.
Thylacines, also known as Tasmanian tigers because of their striped back, used to roam throughout Australia and New Guinea. By the end of the 19th Century, Tasmania was the last refuge for a few remaining animals.
"It was given a really poor reputation in its day - accused of being a vicious, wasteful sheep killer," said Ms Attard.
'Digital crash test'
She and her colleagues, including Stephen Wroe - also from UNSW - examined the animal's skull.
"We scanned the skull and then used the same software on it that you would use in engineering, to investigate the stresses on man-made structures, such as bridges and aircraft wings," explained Dr Wroe.
This digital "crash test" revealed that thylacine's jaws were simply too weak to have brought down an adult sheep.
"If a large carnivore - like a big cat for example - wants to take down a big prey item, it has to clamp down on its throat and suffocate it," said Dr Wroe.
"A thylacine wouldn't have been capable of this."
Dr Wroe also explained that thylacine's teeth were "built for slicing" rather than for crushing bone.
Comparing its skull performance with closely related, living species with known diets, the scientists were able to predict the likely body size of its prey.
"It probably fed on small animals, such as possums," said Dr Wroe. "And its limited diet would have made it more vulnerable to extinction."
But, at the time, people were afraid of the strange, long-snouted tiger.
Ms Attard told BBC Nature: "After only a century of European settlement the thylacine was pushed to the brink of extinction.
"The species puzzled settlers and people would hunt them out of fear and hate."
Eventually, when the imminent extinction of the species became apparent, the thylacine received official protection from the Tasmanian government. But by then it was far too late.
"That was just two months before the last known individual died at Hobart Zoo," said Ms Attard.
"The terrible loss of the thylacine signifies unjustified, negligent destruction of our native flora and fauna. It is a cautionary reminder of what we have lost, and that without urgent intervention other species will suffer the same fate."
The Australian team use hi-tech scanning and "biomechanics" to examine the feeding patterns of extinct and living endangered animals.
Their recent studies have also revealed some surprising insights into the bite force of great white sharks.
Ms Attard concluded: "An understanding of risk factors - such as habitat and diet specialisation - in species that have already become extinct may help guard against future biodiversity loss by anticipating and preventing species declines before they begin."
The strange marsupial carnivore, which became extinct in 1936, was thought to kill sheep. Sheep farming was the backbone of the Australian economy, and the government duly set up a bounty scheme to exterminate the species.
But a new study has now revealed that the marsupial carnivore's jaws were too weak to snare a struggling adult sheep.
The findings are reported in the Journal of Zoology.
As well as revealing the injustice of its being hunted, the study also suggests that the animal's diet contributed significantly to its demise.
"They would need to hunt a lot of small animals to survive," explained lead researcher Marie Attard from the University of New South Wales (UNSW) in Sydney.
"So just small disturbances to the ecosystem - such as those resulting from the way European settlers altered the land - would have reduced their odds of survival."
Thursday marks the 75th anniversary of the death of what is believed to have been the last remaining thylacine, named Ben. The animal was kept at Hobart Zoo in Tasmania.
Thylacines, also known as Tasmanian tigers because of their striped back, used to roam throughout Australia and New Guinea. By the end of the 19th Century, Tasmania was the last refuge for a few remaining animals.
"It was given a really poor reputation in its day - accused of being a vicious, wasteful sheep killer," said Ms Attard.
'Digital crash test'
She and her colleagues, including Stephen Wroe - also from UNSW - examined the animal's skull.
"We scanned the skull and then used the same software on it that you would use in engineering, to investigate the stresses on man-made structures, such as bridges and aircraft wings," explained Dr Wroe.
This digital "crash test" revealed that thylacine's jaws were simply too weak to have brought down an adult sheep.
"If a large carnivore - like a big cat for example - wants to take down a big prey item, it has to clamp down on its throat and suffocate it," said Dr Wroe.
"A thylacine wouldn't have been capable of this."
Dr Wroe also explained that thylacine's teeth were "built for slicing" rather than for crushing bone.
Comparing its skull performance with closely related, living species with known diets, the scientists were able to predict the likely body size of its prey.
"It probably fed on small animals, such as possums," said Dr Wroe. "And its limited diet would have made it more vulnerable to extinction."
But, at the time, people were afraid of the strange, long-snouted tiger.
Ms Attard told BBC Nature: "After only a century of European settlement the thylacine was pushed to the brink of extinction.
"The species puzzled settlers and people would hunt them out of fear and hate."
Eventually, when the imminent extinction of the species became apparent, the thylacine received official protection from the Tasmanian government. But by then it was far too late.
"That was just two months before the last known individual died at Hobart Zoo," said Ms Attard.
"The terrible loss of the thylacine signifies unjustified, negligent destruction of our native flora and fauna. It is a cautionary reminder of what we have lost, and that without urgent intervention other species will suffer the same fate."
The Australian team use hi-tech scanning and "biomechanics" to examine the feeding patterns of extinct and living endangered animals.
Their recent studies have also revealed some surprising insights into the bite force of great white sharks.
Ms Attard concluded: "An understanding of risk factors - such as habitat and diet specialisation - in species that have already become extinct may help guard against future biodiversity loss by anticipating and preventing species declines before they begin."
Thursday, November 18, 2010
Thylacines vanish from Loch Sport, Victoria
Despite a number of Loch Sport residents and also tourists to the township having claimed sightings of thylacines (Tasmanian Tigers) over the years it appears that the thylacine may have ultimately met its doom and vanished from the area.
During the late 1990s and even through to 2009 thylacine sightings were spasmodically recorded during most months and years. However since early 2009 the sightings have almost dried up to the point where the most recent sighting recorded was on January 30th 2010 in Loch Sport with a prior one recorded on January 17th near Golden Beach. Since then no other evidence has been produced or for that matter sightings been recorded.
Murray McAllister continues in his search for the thylacine and has detailed his efforts onto his website located at: - www.tassietiger.org
“It’s got to the point now where we really have to question the existence of the animal in Loch Sport. Through my research since 1998 I have found that the thylacine is very elusive to the point where we have seen the odd koala and emu here along with our one or two thylacine sightings but now all three species of animal are no longer about!” said Murray.
“One now has to question human impact on the area!” said Murray. “A few years ago (2005) they had a big clean up of the Golf Course, removed a lot of the vegetation and poisoned off the rabbits. Maybe the poisoned rabbits were in turn eaten by the thylacines and they may have suffered a similar fate. The same for the Fox baiting programs have they also had an impact with the thylacines eating the fox baits?
Thylacine sightings used to plentiful at the front of the town near the Golf Course but now with the added “Fuel Reduction Burn Offs” the vegetation and landscape has been altered and the thylacines may have moved on!
“Kangaroos that had been hit by cars during road kill would often be dismembered in that they would quite often be found with their heads missing indicating a thylacine presence, now they remain largely untouched and rarely show signs of any predation. Perhaps the block clearing and house building that continues in Loch Sport also may have restricted thylacine movement in and throughout the township. It certainly isn’t as prevalent as it was almost a decade ago,” said Murray.
“It will be pretty sad if the animal doesn’t return to Loch Sport as it really had proven to be one of the last remaining sanctuaries where people like I held hope that the magnificent thylacine might still survive and re-establish itself as part of our unique Australian wildlife heritage. I’m hoping that people might eventually come forward in the near future to dispel my doubts about the animal no longer being sighted in and around Loch Sport but if we don’t hear anything significant within say the next 12 months we might have to give it up as an animal of the past.
"Even though I’ve had over 20 sightings of the thylacine here, with others also having more than 10 sightings there has certainly been a disturbance to the natural wildlife throughout Loch Sport over recent times and nobody can explain the reasons why this has occurred. The kangaroo and wallaby populations along with bird life are also well down on the observations of the past and we need to investigate what has caused this change in an effort to lure the wildlife back!” said Murray.
“It’s not only just what I believe in but it’s also what makes Loch Sport a unique place to visit and live. If you lose the wildlife then people will not want to come down here. Where else in Australia do you see kangaroos along with the odd thylacine walking down the street?" posed Murray.
Source: The Link
During the late 1990s and even through to 2009 thylacine sightings were spasmodically recorded during most months and years. However since early 2009 the sightings have almost dried up to the point where the most recent sighting recorded was on January 30th 2010 in Loch Sport with a prior one recorded on January 17th near Golden Beach. Since then no other evidence has been produced or for that matter sightings been recorded.
Murray McAllister continues in his search for the thylacine and has detailed his efforts onto his website located at: - www.tassietiger.org
“It’s got to the point now where we really have to question the existence of the animal in Loch Sport. Through my research since 1998 I have found that the thylacine is very elusive to the point where we have seen the odd koala and emu here along with our one or two thylacine sightings but now all three species of animal are no longer about!” said Murray.
“One now has to question human impact on the area!” said Murray. “A few years ago (2005) they had a big clean up of the Golf Course, removed a lot of the vegetation and poisoned off the rabbits. Maybe the poisoned rabbits were in turn eaten by the thylacines and they may have suffered a similar fate. The same for the Fox baiting programs have they also had an impact with the thylacines eating the fox baits?
Thylacine sightings used to plentiful at the front of the town near the Golf Course but now with the added “Fuel Reduction Burn Offs” the vegetation and landscape has been altered and the thylacines may have moved on!
“Kangaroos that had been hit by cars during road kill would often be dismembered in that they would quite often be found with their heads missing indicating a thylacine presence, now they remain largely untouched and rarely show signs of any predation. Perhaps the block clearing and house building that continues in Loch Sport also may have restricted thylacine movement in and throughout the township. It certainly isn’t as prevalent as it was almost a decade ago,” said Murray.
“It will be pretty sad if the animal doesn’t return to Loch Sport as it really had proven to be one of the last remaining sanctuaries where people like I held hope that the magnificent thylacine might still survive and re-establish itself as part of our unique Australian wildlife heritage. I’m hoping that people might eventually come forward in the near future to dispel my doubts about the animal no longer being sighted in and around Loch Sport but if we don’t hear anything significant within say the next 12 months we might have to give it up as an animal of the past.
"Even though I’ve had over 20 sightings of the thylacine here, with others also having more than 10 sightings there has certainly been a disturbance to the natural wildlife throughout Loch Sport over recent times and nobody can explain the reasons why this has occurred. The kangaroo and wallaby populations along with bird life are also well down on the observations of the past and we need to investigate what has caused this change in an effort to lure the wildlife back!” said Murray.
“It’s not only just what I believe in but it’s also what makes Loch Sport a unique place to visit and live. If you lose the wildlife then people will not want to come down here. Where else in Australia do you see kangaroos along with the odd thylacine walking down the street?" posed Murray.
Source: The Link
Thylacines vanish from Loch Sport, Victoria
Despite a number of Loch Sport residents and also tourists to the township having claimed sightings of thylacines (Tasmanian Tigers) over the years it appears that the thylacine may have ultimately met its doom and vanished from the area.
During the late 1990s and even through to 2009 thylacine sightings were spasmodically recorded during most months and years. However since early 2009 the sightings have almost dried up to the point where the most recent sighting recorded was on January 30th 2010 in Loch Sport with a prior one recorded on January 17th near Golden Beach. Since then no other evidence has been produced or for that matter sightings been recorded.
Murray McAllister continues in his search for the thylacine and has detailed his efforts onto his website located at: - www.tassietiger.org
“It’s got to the point now where we really have to question the existence of the animal in Loch Sport. Through my research since 1998 I have found that the thylacine is very elusive to the point where we have seen the odd koala and emu here along with our one or two thylacine sightings but now all three species of animal are no longer about!” said Murray.
“One now has to question human impact on the area!” said Murray. “A few years ago (2005) they had a big clean up of the Golf Course, removed a lot of the vegetation and poisoned off the rabbits. Maybe the poisoned rabbits were in turn eaten by the thylacines and they may have suffered a similar fate. The same for the Fox baiting programs have they also had an impact with the thylacines eating the fox baits?
Thylacine sightings used to plentiful at the front of the town near the Golf Course but now with the added “Fuel Reduction Burn Offs” the vegetation and landscape has been altered and the thylacines may have moved on!
“Kangaroos that had been hit by cars during road kill would often be dismembered in that they would quite often be found with their heads missing indicating a thylacine presence, now they remain largely untouched and rarely show signs of any predation. Perhaps the block clearing and house building that continues in Loch Sport also may have restricted thylacine movement in and throughout the township. It certainly isn’t as prevalent as it was almost a decade ago,” said Murray.
“It will be pretty sad if the animal doesn’t return to Loch Sport as it really had proven to be one of the last remaining sanctuaries where people like I held hope that the magnificent thylacine might still survive and re-establish itself as part of our unique Australian wildlife heritage. I’m hoping that people might eventually come forward in the near future to dispel my doubts about the animal no longer being sighted in and around Loch Sport but if we don’t hear anything significant within say the next 12 months we might have to give it up as an animal of the past.
"Even though I’ve had over 20 sightings of the thylacine here, with others also having more than 10 sightings there has certainly been a disturbance to the natural wildlife throughout Loch Sport over recent times and nobody can explain the reasons why this has occurred. The kangaroo and wallaby populations along with bird life are also well down on the observations of the past and we need to investigate what has caused this change in an effort to lure the wildlife back!” said Murray.
“It’s not only just what I believe in but it’s also what makes Loch Sport a unique place to visit and live. If you lose the wildlife then people will not want to come down here. Where else in Australia do you see kangaroos along with the odd thylacine walking down the street?" posed Murray.
Source: The Link
During the late 1990s and even through to 2009 thylacine sightings were spasmodically recorded during most months and years. However since early 2009 the sightings have almost dried up to the point where the most recent sighting recorded was on January 30th 2010 in Loch Sport with a prior one recorded on January 17th near Golden Beach. Since then no other evidence has been produced or for that matter sightings been recorded.
Murray McAllister continues in his search for the thylacine and has detailed his efforts onto his website located at: - www.tassietiger.org
“It’s got to the point now where we really have to question the existence of the animal in Loch Sport. Through my research since 1998 I have found that the thylacine is very elusive to the point where we have seen the odd koala and emu here along with our one or two thylacine sightings but now all three species of animal are no longer about!” said Murray.
“One now has to question human impact on the area!” said Murray. “A few years ago (2005) they had a big clean up of the Golf Course, removed a lot of the vegetation and poisoned off the rabbits. Maybe the poisoned rabbits were in turn eaten by the thylacines and they may have suffered a similar fate. The same for the Fox baiting programs have they also had an impact with the thylacines eating the fox baits?
Thylacine sightings used to plentiful at the front of the town near the Golf Course but now with the added “Fuel Reduction Burn Offs” the vegetation and landscape has been altered and the thylacines may have moved on!
“Kangaroos that had been hit by cars during road kill would often be dismembered in that they would quite often be found with their heads missing indicating a thylacine presence, now they remain largely untouched and rarely show signs of any predation. Perhaps the block clearing and house building that continues in Loch Sport also may have restricted thylacine movement in and throughout the township. It certainly isn’t as prevalent as it was almost a decade ago,” said Murray.
“It will be pretty sad if the animal doesn’t return to Loch Sport as it really had proven to be one of the last remaining sanctuaries where people like I held hope that the magnificent thylacine might still survive and re-establish itself as part of our unique Australian wildlife heritage. I’m hoping that people might eventually come forward in the near future to dispel my doubts about the animal no longer being sighted in and around Loch Sport but if we don’t hear anything significant within say the next 12 months we might have to give it up as an animal of the past.
"Even though I’ve had over 20 sightings of the thylacine here, with others also having more than 10 sightings there has certainly been a disturbance to the natural wildlife throughout Loch Sport over recent times and nobody can explain the reasons why this has occurred. The kangaroo and wallaby populations along with bird life are also well down on the observations of the past and we need to investigate what has caused this change in an effort to lure the wildlife back!” said Murray.
“It’s not only just what I believe in but it’s also what makes Loch Sport a unique place to visit and live. If you lose the wildlife then people will not want to come down here. Where else in Australia do you see kangaroos along with the odd thylacine walking down the street?" posed Murray.
Source: The Link
Friday, November 5, 2010
Man Buys Extinct Tasmanian Tiger Pelt for $5 (via Jayne Ayris)
Bill Warren figures to turn a $5 garage sale buy into $70,000 after finding what may be the pelt of an extinct Tasmanian tiger, according to the web site SignOnSanDiego.
The Tasmanian tiger (Thylacinus cynocephalus) was a carnivore that resembled a striped coyote and vanished from its Australian haunt nearly 80 years ago. It was a marsupial (creatures including kangaroos
that carry young in a pouch).
The last wild Tasmanian tiger was killed between 1910 and 1920, and the last captive one died in 1936 at the Hobart Zoo in Tasmania, Australia. In 1986, the creature was declared extinct. (The DNA of Tasmanian tigers was recently resurrected in mice, interestingly.)
Warren said neither he nor the seller knew what they had. Then he did some Internet research. Most pelts of this creature are in museums so they're rare and, you guessed it, an auction house is now involved.
The tasmanian tiger is not the same thing as the Tasmanian devil (Sarcophilus harrisii), a fierce-looking, dog-sized marsupial that's fighting cancer.
Full story at http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2010/nov/03/he-might-have-tiger-pelt/
The Tasmanian tiger (Thylacinus cynocephalus) was a carnivore that resembled a striped coyote and vanished from its Australian haunt nearly 80 years ago. It was a marsupial (creatures including kangaroos
that carry young in a pouch).
The last wild Tasmanian tiger was killed between 1910 and 1920, and the last captive one died in 1936 at the Hobart Zoo in Tasmania, Australia. In 1986, the creature was declared extinct. (The DNA of Tasmanian tigers was recently resurrected in mice, interestingly.)
Warren said neither he nor the seller knew what they had. Then he did some Internet research. Most pelts of this creature are in museums so they're rare and, you guessed it, an auction house is now involved.
The tasmanian tiger is not the same thing as the Tasmanian devil (Sarcophilus harrisii), a fierce-looking, dog-sized marsupial that's fighting cancer.
Full story at http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2010/nov/03/he-might-have-tiger-pelt/
Man Buys Extinct Tasmanian Tiger Pelt for $5 (via Jayne Ayris)
Bill Warren figures to turn a $5 garage sale buy into $70,000 after finding what may be the pelt of an extinct Tasmanian tiger, according to the web site SignOnSanDiego.
The Tasmanian tiger (Thylacinus cynocephalus) was a carnivore that resembled a striped coyote and vanished from its Australian haunt nearly 80 years ago. It was a marsupial (creatures including kangaroos
that carry young in a pouch).
The last wild Tasmanian tiger was killed between 1910 and 1920, and the last captive one died in 1936 at the Hobart Zoo in Tasmania, Australia. In 1986, the creature was declared extinct. (The DNA of Tasmanian tigers was recently resurrected in mice, interestingly.)
Warren said neither he nor the seller knew what they had. Then he did some Internet research. Most pelts of this creature are in museums so they're rare and, you guessed it, an auction house is now involved.
The tasmanian tiger is not the same thing as the Tasmanian devil (Sarcophilus harrisii), a fierce-looking, dog-sized marsupial that's fighting cancer.
Full story at http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2010/nov/03/he-might-have-tiger-pelt/
The Tasmanian tiger (Thylacinus cynocephalus) was a carnivore that resembled a striped coyote and vanished from its Australian haunt nearly 80 years ago. It was a marsupial (creatures including kangaroos
that carry young in a pouch).
The last wild Tasmanian tiger was killed between 1910 and 1920, and the last captive one died in 1936 at the Hobart Zoo in Tasmania, Australia. In 1986, the creature was declared extinct. (The DNA of Tasmanian tigers was recently resurrected in mice, interestingly.)
Warren said neither he nor the seller knew what they had. Then he did some Internet research. Most pelts of this creature are in museums so they're rare and, you guessed it, an auction house is now involved.
The tasmanian tiger is not the same thing as the Tasmanian devil (Sarcophilus harrisii), a fierce-looking, dog-sized marsupial that's fighting cancer.
Full story at http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2010/nov/03/he-might-have-tiger-pelt/
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