The thylacine (Thylacinus cynocephalus) is the only species of the marsupial family Thylacinidae to have existed within historical times.  It is often referred to as the Tasmanian tiger or Tasmanian wolf, but being a marsupial, it is neither a tiger or a wolf in any true sense.  It is, however, an excellent example of convergent evolution.  This is the process by which rather distantly related species independently acquire similar characteristics while evolving in separate and sometimes varying ecosystems.  This occurs as a result of adaptation to similar environments and ways of life.  The thylacine's body shape approximately resembles that of the placental wolf because it is a cursorial predator which occupies a similar ecological niche.  Apart from the notable differences in dentition, even the thylacine's skull structure superficially parallels that of a canid.

    The last survivor of a very ancient and once diverse family of carnivorous marsupials, the thylacine is a truly amazing and beautiful mammal.  Sadly, it is the victim of one of man's most atrocious acts of destruction toward the fauna of Australia.  Out of misunderstanding, irrational fear and simply because it was perceived as a threat to economic interests, a genocidal assault was waged against the species.  Thus, thousands of thylacines were destroyed by man during the 19th and early 20th centuries.  By the time that this action was seen as the horrible tragedy that it truly was, the thylacine had been persecuted nearly to extinction.

    The thylacine has always been one of my specialized areas of study and research, and through this virtual museum, I hope to promote a greater awareness of this most remarkable marsupial.  Click on any of the topic listings shown below to begin your tour of the museum.  If you are new to the site however, I suggest that you start at the first of the six sections - "Introducing the Thylacine".  Clicking on a section's title image will take you to its introductory page.