The large Tasmanian marsupial also known as the thylacine was the Tasmanian tiger. Its scientific name was Thylacinus cynocephalus, and it was also sometimes called the Tasmanian wolf because its body shape resembled a dog or wolf. Dark stripes across its back inspired the “tiger” nickname.
The thylacine once lived across mainland Australia, Tasmania, and New Guinea. It disappeared from mainland Australia thousands of years ago, possibly because of competition with dingoes, but survived in Tasmania into the modern era. European settlers considered it a threat to sheep, leading to bounty schemes and intensive hunting.
The last known thylacine died in captivity at Hobart Zoo on September 7, 1936. Habitat loss, disease, reduced genetic diversity, and competition may also have contributed to its decline. The Tasmanian devil is a different, still-living marsupial; the two are relatives but not the same animal.