Uploaded November 2025 | Updated September 2026, 2 hours ago
Thylacines, or Tasmanian tigers or Tasmanian wolves, went extinct in 1936. The conflict between them and settlers on the island is mostly to blame for loss of this marsupial, but the trade in thylacines for zoos, museums, and private collections also put a bounty on their heads.
So, when it comes to saving a species, what happens when our zoological fascination is actually part of the problem?
Endlings portrait illustrations are by Zoe Keller. You can find out more about her and her work here: zoekeller.com
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#BizarreBeasts #thylacine #tasmaniantiger #endlings
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Sources:
https://transcripts.sl.nsw.gov.au/document/description-tasmanian-tiger-received-banks-william-paterson-30-march-1805-series-2733
meridian.allenpress.com/australian-zoologist/article/39/3/480/134776/The-International-Thylacine-Specimen-Database-6th
papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=1451865
https://www.utas.edu.au/about/news-and-stories/articles/2018/573-on-the-trail-of-the-london-thylacines
https://www.nma.gov.au/defining-moments/resources/extinction-of-thylacine#:~:text=On%207%20September%201936%20only,the%20time%20of%20European%20settlement
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-11-09/new-thylacine-research-casts-doubt-last-tasmanian-tiger-theory/103065256
https://www.australiangeographic.com.au/topics/wildlife/2017/09/the-search-for-the-tasmanian-tiger/
iucnredlist.org/species/pdf/9332383
https://www.nma.gov.au/defining-moments/resources/extinction-of-thylacine
royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/full/10.1098/rsbl.2017.0642
https://digital-classroom.nma.gov.au/defining-moments/arrival-dingo
pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2306516120
bmcecolevol.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12862-021-01788-8
https://www.publish.csiro.au/zo/fulltext/ZO22011
journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0034877
https://www.rahs.org.au/national-threatened-species-day/
naturalworlds.org/thylacine/captivity/zoos/Tasmania/Tasmania_1.htm
cosmosmagazine.com/nature/animals/revealing-the-baby-thylacine
https://www.utas.edu.au/about/news-and-stories/articles/2018/573-on-the-trail-of-the-london-thylacines
https://www.australiangeographic.com.au/topics/wildlife/2017/09/the-search-for-the-tasmanian-tiger/
australianhumanitiesreview.org/2018/12/02/the-cultural-politics-of-mourning-in-the-era-of-mass-extinction-thylacine-specimen-p762
papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=1451865
------
Images:
docs.google.com/document/d/1YFDp_W0betm7SXCPkq1JZlOad6qYv8BK_nDMAz089ds/edit?usp=sharing
Thylacines, or Tasmanian tigers or Tasmanian wolves, went extinct in 1936. The conflict between them and settlers on the island is mostly to blame for loss of this marsupial, but the trade in thylacines for zoos, museums, and private collections also put a bounty on their heads.
So, when it comes to saving a species, what happens when our zoological fascination is actually part of the problem?
Endlings portrait illustrations are by Zoe Keller. You can find out more about her and her work here: zoekeller.com
Subscribe to the pin club here: https://complexly.store/products/bizarre-beasts-pin-subscription
You can cancel any time by emailing hello@dftba.com
Follow us on socials:
Instagram: instagram.com/bizarrebeastsshow
Facebook: facebook.com/BizarreBeastsShow
Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/bizarrebeastsshow.bsky.social
#BizarreBeasts #thylacine #tasmaniantiger #endlings
-----
Sources:
https://transcripts.sl.nsw.gov.au/document/description-tasmanian-tiger-received-banks-william-paterson-30-march-1805-series-2733
meridian.allenpress.com/australian-zoologist/article/39/3/480/134776/The-International-Thylacine-Specimen-Database-6th
papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=1451865
https://www.utas.edu.au/about/news-and-stories/articles/2018/573-on-the-trail-of-the-london-thylacines
https://www.nma.gov.au/defining-moments/resources/extinction-of-thylacine#:~:text=On%207%20September%201936%20only,the%20time%20of%20European%20settlement
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-11-09/new-thylacine-research-casts-doubt-last-tasmanian-tiger-theory/103065256
https://www.australiangeographic.com.au/topics/wildlife/2017/09/the-search-for-the-tasmanian-tiger/
iucnredlist.org/species/pdf/9332383
https://www.nma.gov.au/defining-moments/resources/extinction-of-thylacine
royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/full/10.1098/rsbl.2017.0642
https://digital-classroom.nma.gov.au/defining-moments/arrival-dingo
pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2306516120
bmcecolevol.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12862-021-01788-8
https://www.publish.csiro.au/zo/fulltext/ZO22011
journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0034877
https://www.rahs.org.au/national-threatened-species-day/
naturalworlds.org/thylacine/captivity/zoos/Tasmania/Tasmania_1.htm
cosmosmagazine.com/nature/animals/revealing-the-baby-thylacine
https://www.utas.edu.au/about/news-and-stories/articles/2018/573-on-the-trail-of-the-london-thylacines
https://www.australiangeographic.com.au/topics/wildlife/2017/09/the-search-for-the-tasmanian-tiger/
australianhumanitiesreview.org/2018/12/02/the-cultural-politics-of-mourning-in-the-era-of-mass-extinction-thylacine-specimen-p762
papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=1451865
------
Images:
docs.google.com/document/d/1YFDp_W0betm7SXCPkq1JZlOad6qYv8BK_nDMAz089ds/edit?usp=sharing
