Tasmanian marsupial wolf. The marsupial wolf as an exterminated species of Tasmania. Description and appearance

The reason for the extinction of the marsupial wolf could be not so much extermination by humans, but the almost complete lack of genetic diversity in the population.

Marsupial wolf, 1906 (photo smiteme).

Even if the marsupial wolf had not been hunted so intensively, it would still be doomed, geneticists from the universities of Melbourne (Australia) and Connecticut (USA) came to this conclusion.

Until now, the fate of the marsupial, or Tasmanian, wolf is cited as one of the clearest examples of the irrational and selfish attitude of man to the environment. In the 19th century, local farmers, having decided that this predator was extremely harmful to livestock, began to exterminate it en masse. By the beginning of the last century, the wolf survived in some places, but then an epizootic broke out, which is believed to have come to Tasmania along with dogs. This disease mowed down the remnants of marsupial wolves. The last specimen died in 1936 at the Tasmanian Zoo.

Researchers from Europe, Australia and the US analyzed 14 DNA samples isolated from the remains of different individuals of the Tasmanian wolf. It turned out that all of them are 99.5% similar to each other, and it is precisely those parts of the genome where there should be significant individual differences. For one genetic divergence between individuals of the marsupial wolf, there were 5-6 differences that could be found in ordinary dogs. In other words, the Tasmanian wolf had almost no genetic diversity. It is known that it is genetic diversity that is the key to the survival of the species, the greater it is, the better the species adapts to the environment. If this diversity falls below a certain level, then the species simply dies out, and any, the most insignificant change is enough for this.

This can happen for various reasons: for example, due to inbreeding in small, separated populations. This, according to scientists, happened to the Tasmanian wolf: its ancestors in Tasmania were cut off from the main population in Australia. It soon disappeared from the mainland, believed to be under pressure from the dingo dog, and the Tasmanian population was the only one left. Of course, this does not justify the wholesale extermination of the wolf by man, but even without hunting and an introduced disease, the species could disappear at any moment - it was enough to have some kind of mutation in local pathogenic microorganisms.

Incidentally, another well-known marsupial predator, the Tasmanian devil, who was lucky enough to survive, now also suffers from its own genetic monotony. Some time ago, an epidemic of facial tumor broke out among marsupial devils, threatening to exterminate the whole species. Scientists believe that both the tumor itself and the defenselessness of animals in front of it are connected precisely with the degenerate genetic diversity of the species.

It is believed that the last marsupial (Tasmanian) wolf -thylacine(Thylacinus cynocephalus) died in 1936 at a private zoo in Hobart. They even managed to capture it on photo and video, and these archival footage has so far been the only "living" incarnation of the now extinct animal.

Tasmanian marsupial wolves became extinct mainly due to catastrophic extermination by humans. Farmers claimed that this predator bullies sheep. Another cause of extinction is called dog distemper, which broke out in Tasmania at the beginning of the 20th century, where a small population of thylacines remained.

However, it is believed that the marsupial wolf is not completely extinct. Over the following years, isolated cases of encounters with animals were recorded, but none of them received reliable confirmation.

And this year in Australia, the mysterious thylacine was probably filmed on video, in any case, the recorded animal is very similar to the marsupial wolf.

According to the British tabloid Daily Mail, the video was presented by a group of enthusiastic thylacine researchers Thylacine Awareness Group of Australia and was taken in February 2016 near Adelaide (South Australia). Within a few seconds, an unidentified animal flickers among the thickets near the building.

Unique entry at 0.18 seconds

Researcher Neil Waters believes that in the video you can also notice the characteristic stripes on the sides of the animal, like a thylacine. He says that his long, elongated tail, wide at the point of transition to the body, and a large head are clearly visible - the hallmarks of the thylacine.

Waters assures that at least five people reported seeing the animal at close range and their descriptions are similar to the appearance of a thylacine.

Marsupial wolf, or thylacine (lat. Thylacinus cynocephalus) is an extinct marsupial mammal and the only member of the thylacine family. This animal is also known under the name "marsupial tiger" and "Tasmanian wolf".

At the beginning of the Holocene and the end of the Pleistocene, the marsupial wolf was found on the Australian mainland and the island of New Guinea. About 3,000 years ago, aboriginal settlers brought the wild dog dingo to the island, as a result of which the marsupial wolf disappeared from the area.

In the XVIII-XIX centuries. Tasmania was considered the main habitat of the marsupial wolf, but in the thirties of the XIX century, the mass extermination of the animal began, which was mistakenly considered the destroyer of domestic sheep. In addition, the thylacine was credited with hunting poultry and exterminating game caught in traps. Most of these legends turned out to be false.

By 1863, the number of thylacines had declined significantly; it was possible to meet a marsupial wolf only in the mountainous and forest regions of Tasmania, almost inaccessible to humans. A further reduction in the number of animals was probably facilitated by the dog plague that broke out at the beginning of the 20th century not without the help of imported dogs. This led to the fact that in 1914 the number of animals was calculated in units.

In 1928, a law was passed to protect the fauna of Tasmania, but the marsupial wolf was not on the list of protected animals. On May 13, 1930, the last marsupial wolf was killed, and in 1936 the last thylacine, kept in captivity in one of the private zoos, died of old age. Only in 1938 did a ban on hunting the marsupial wolf appear, and in 1966 a reserve was organized near Lake St. Clair with an area of ​​​​647,000 hectares.

Further searches for the marsupial wolf were unsuccessful, and all the stories about the meeting with this animal were not documented.

In appearance, the marsupial wolf looked like a dog, the shape of the skull was also similar to that of a dog, and exceeded the dog's skull in size. The tail had a structure similar to marsupial representatives. The mouth of the thylacine opened 120 degrees, which, when yawning, allowed the animal's jaws to form an almost straight line. The curvature of the hind legs gave the thylacine's gait a kind of jumping, jumping, similar to the movement of a kangaroo.

Thylacine was characterized by a nocturnal solitary lifestyle. The diet of the marsupial wolf included medium and large terrestrial vertebrates, small marsupials, birds, echidnas and various animals caught in traps. During the hunt, the thylacine made a coughing bark, piercing, guttural and deaf.

In 1999, the cloning of the marsupial wolf was announced, for which DNA samples of animals preserved in the museum in an alcohol solution were used. However, the DNA turned out to be damaged and unsuitable for the experiment. On February 15, 2005, the project was closed. In May 2008, one of the thylacine genes was introduced into a mouse, where it functioned successfully.

Today there is an assumption that, despite all the facts known about the disappearance of the marsupial wolf, he still managed to survive. Perhaps the habitat of the wolf is the deaf and unexplored forests of Tasmania. Sometimes there are reports of a meeting with this animal, but so far there is no confirmation of this in the form of photographs or video filming.

And this, it seems, is the last video recording of the Tasmanian tigers ... 1936 ...

The Tasmanian marsupial wolf (lat. Thelacinus cynocephalus) is a carnivorous marsupial animal that existed in the Holocene and was recognized as an extinct species in the first half of the 20th century. It is also called the Tasmanian marsupial tiger or thylacine.

In addition to Tasmania, it existed in New Guinea about 3 thousand years ago. Presumably, it disappeared due to climate change and unsuccessful competition with dingo dogs.

In Australia, a rare species was destroyed by European settlers already in the first decades of colonization. In Tasmania, he disappeared in 1930.

Species extinction

Even 300 years ago there were a lot of thylacines. The local tribes of the islanders hunted marsupial predators, but this did not reflect their population in any way. A terrible disaster for them was the arrival of the Europeans, who, due to their own superstitious fear of them, began to destroy them without exception.

Chilling legends circulated about the incredible bloodthirstiness and cruelty of this creature. He was considered a product of the devil and frightened little children with him.

Sheep were brought to Tasmania in the early 19th century. They were immediately hunted by marsupial wolves. Sheep breeders soon got the local authorities to pay a reward for each slaughtered individual. On top of that, in 1910, an epidemic broke out among the wolves, as a result, only a few animals remained alive.

In 1936, the only surviving specimen, which was in a private zoo, died.

Only two years later, belated measures were taken to protect endangered animals. Enthusiasts still believe that the Tasmanian wolf could theoretically survive in the dense forests. Periodically, information appears that someone was lucky enough to see a mysterious creature, but there is no documentary evidence of this.

Lifestyle

By nature, the thylacine was a solitary hunter. Only the female spent her time in the circle of the younger generation. Obviously, each animal had its own personal hunting grounds, which were located in hard-to-reach areas.

During the day, the predator rested, hiding in a shelter under stones or a hollow, and at night it went in search of food. His victims were birds, kangaroos and. The Tasmanian wolf did not know how to jump and move briskly. He was able to pursue his prey at a measured trot for a long time, and when she slowed down her run, she grabbed her head with her mouth.

His powerful jaws easily crushed the skull, and he first feasted on the brain, and then on everything else. At dawn, the predator returned to its shelter.

Sometimes marsupial tigers gathered in groups for joint hunting for large animals.

They sensitively reacted to any danger, and in the event of a threat, they instantly dissolved in thickets of bushes.

reproduction

The female had a bag of skin folds on her stomach. She was used to carry a baby. The exit from it was located between the hind limbs, so foreign objects could not get inside while running.

The mating season took place in December. The partners spent a couple of days together, and then parted. The pregnancy lasted 34-36 days. Up to four blind and naked cubs were born.

Immediately after birth, the babies climbed into the mother's pouch on their own and hung on the nipples for the next 3 months. During this period, they slowly overgrown with wool, they had sight and hearing. At the age of six months, the cubs left their mother's pouch.

They kept nearby, studying the surroundings under the close supervision of their mother. In the event of a threat, the kids immediately hid in the bag. Going hunting, the mother hid the cubs in a safe secluded place, and when they grew up, they all went together in search of prey.

Having reached sexual maturity at about 9 months of age, young wolves dispersed in search of their own hunting grounds.

Description

The body length of adults reached 105 cm, and the tail was up to 65 cm. Large eyes with a brown iris were on the narrow, elongated head. The short erect ears had a triangular shape. The pointed muzzle ended in a dark nose.

The body was lean and muscular. The color of the short and very hard coat varied from light yellow to orange. There were black transverse stripes on the back and tail. The tail was straight and inflexible. Due to the special structure of the limbs, the wolf was a hardy runner.

The life expectancy of a marsupial wolf in captivity reached 8 years.

Before the advent of immigrants, the marsupial wolf lived not only on the mainland, but also on the nearby islands: in Tasmania and New Guinea.

The natural habitat of wolves was open plains and not very dense forests, but the Europeans who arrived in Australia forced the animals to move into the rainforests and climb the mountains. There they settled in burrows, hollows of fallen trees and caves.

Thylacinus kinocephalus, which in translation sounds like "a striped dog with a wolf's head." This is what the amateur naturalist Harris called the marsupial wolf, publishing data on this animal in 1808.

Apparently, the Tasmanian wolf got its name because of its resemblance to a dog, the structural features of the skull and the dark transverse stripes that adorn the back and hind legs of the animal. The body, covered with thick wool of a grayish-yellow hue, had a length with a tail of about 180 centimeters, the height of the animal at the shoulders was 60 centimeters, and the weight of the wolf ranged from 20-25 kilograms.

The elongated mouth made it possible for the thylacine to open it to 120 o, and the long hind legs made it possible to take a vertical position and gave the gait an abrupt character.

The female thylacine fattened her tiny cubs in a pouch where they stayed for three months. The mother left the grown-up wolf cubs in the shelter and left in search of prey. After the hunt, the she-wolf taught the cubs how to handle the prey.

Wolves led a solitary life, and hunted in pairs or small groups for small marsupials, lizards and birds, exhausting their prey with a grueling long chase. Occasionally, animals feasted on the domestic animals of the colonists, which caused the dislike of the settlers. Trying to get rid of wolves, people scattered poisoned meat, but these wolves never ate half-eaten prey, so it was not possible to exterminate them in this way.

The mass extermination of the thylacine began when Australian farmers unfairly took up arms against the wolf, although the sheep were hunted not by marsupial wolves, but by wild dingoes and feral domestic dogs brought by the colonists. As a result, the wolves remained on the island of Tasmania, where they simply could not be reached. At the beginning of the 20th century, the number of these animals decreased sharply due to an epidemic of canine distemper. In 1928, the Tasmanian Animal Protection Act was passed, but the Tasmanian wolf was not taken under protection and, as a species, disappeared forever. In 1930, one of the marsupial wolves was killed by a "valiant" hunter, and in 1936 the last representative of the species died of old age in the zoo.

With the development of genetic engineering, there have been attempts to clone thylacine using genetic material taken from an alcoholized marsupial wolf cub from the Sydney Museum and successfully transplanted into a mouse embryo. However, it has not yet been possible to clone the animal itself.