Thylacinidae - Tasmanian wolf) There is only one species in this family, the extinct Tasmanian wolf. Despite its name, the Tasmanian wolf was a marsupial. It was more closely related to kangaroos and koalas than to wolves! The Tasmanian wolf was found in forests and grasslands. It was 3-6 feet in length and had a brown body with black stripes on its back. The Tasmanian wolf hunted small mammals and birds.
Thousands of years ago, the Tasmanian wolf was found throughout Australia, Tasmania, and New Guinea. They disappeared from Australia about 3,000 years ago, probably due to competition from dingos. In Tasmania, where there are no dingos, the Tasmanian wolf was found until the 1930s. It has been extinct since 1936 when the last known Tasmanian wolf died in captivity. Hunting was the main cause of extinction of the Tasmanian wolf in Tasmania. At one point, hunters were paid 25 cents per Tasmanian wolf scalp. |