Based on reported sightings, some scientists say the iconic creature probably survived until the late 1980s or 1990s, but others are skeptical.
The"completely unique," wolf-like Tasmanian tigers that thrived on the island of Tasmania before they went extinct in 1936 may have survived in the wilderness for far longer than previously thought, research suggests. There is also a small possibility they are still alive today, experts say.
"The thylacine was completely unique among living marsupials," said Andrew Pask , a professor of epigenetics at the University of Melbourne in Australia who was not involved in the new research."Not only did it have its iconic wolf-like appearance, but it was also our only marsupial apex predator. Apex predators form extremely important parts of the food chain and are often responsible for stabilizing ecosystems," Pask told Live Science in an email.
But now, scientists say thylacines probably survived in the wild until the 1980s, with a"small chance" they could still be hiding somewhere today. In a study published March 18 in the journal Science of The Total Environment , researchers pored over 1,237 reported thylacine sightings in Tasmania from 1910 onwards.The team estimated the reliability of these reports and where thylacines could have persisted after 1936.
But others are skeptical."There is no evidence to confirm any of the sightings," Pask said."One thing that's so interesting about the thylacine is how it evolved to look so much like a wolf and so different to other marsupials. Because of this, it is very hard to tell the difference at distance between a thylacine and [a] dog and this is likely why we still continue to have so many sightings despite never finding a dead animal or unequivocal picture.
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