New information based on recent studies show that the Tasmanian tigers were genetically in poor health, according to the lead researcher Dr Andrew Pask, from the University of Melbourne. This species got hunted to extinction and the last animal died in 1936 in a zoo. According to the DNA researchers said the Tasmanian tigers would have had a hard time trying to survive even without human contact since they suffered from limited genetic diversity long before their extinction. The problems might have surfaced back as far as 70,000 years ago when the population suffered due to a climatic event. Researchers sequenced on a 106-year-old genome from Victoria Museum which might be held a complete genetic blueprints on an extinct species – Nature Ecology and Evolution journal.
When did they start to diminish?
The animal was extinct 80 years ago, in the 19th and 20th century and was known as a thylacine. The numbers dropped when humans inhabited Australia and when the population of the dingoes appeared. Since the Tasmanian tiger was a carnivore, people deliberately hunted it because it would kill the sheep and then they were forced to move the Tasmania Island. You will never know if an individual of the species might be still alive.
Appearance of the species
The recent studies inform about the Tasmanian tiger’s appearance. They had pouches like kangaroos where they carried their babies but given to the look, those were more similar to dogs. The scientist proved that despite the fact their skull had similarities to the grey wolf and the red fox, they have shared no common ancestor since the Jurassic period. This study turned out to be an amazing result of the animal look alike to species which are not closely related. It was the latest apex predator marsupial to survive in the 20th century.
