You know how some animals look like they have been mixed in with other animals?  Like a Quagga, looks like a Zebras’ front and a Horses’ backside. A Platypus looks like it has a Ducks’ bill, Beavers’ tail, and an Otters’ body.  I found the best one of all, in my opinion.  It has a body like a dog, a face like a wolf, and a tail like a kangaroo.  It has stripes like a tiger, and a mouth that can open 120 degrees.  Oh yeah, it also has a pouch.

What animal is that you ask…

The Tasmanian Wolf,  Thylacinus cynocephalus, which means “pouched dog with a wolf head”, the name reflects the animals’ true nature as well as its similarity to the wolf and the dog. It is also referred to as The Tasmanian Tiger. 

In the 19th century Tasmania encouraged agriculture, which meant people moved in, planted crops and raised livestock. Farms began to pop up and livestock, like sheep and goats began to disappear or were found dead.  The people blamed all of deaths on the Tasmanian Wolf, though there were other meat eaters living in the area at the time.  They were so sure this animal was the cause of their problems they put a price on its head.  Bounty Hunters were sent out to kill all they could find, and were paid for every one they brought back dead.  They just about wiped them out at that time.  There were so few left by 1910 that the only place you could see them alive was the Beaumaris Zoo in Hobart, Tasmania, Australia.

These animals were so unique, Scientists say: They were a genetic converge of species.

Their size ranged from 39-51 inches (100-130cm) long, for the body.  The tail could measure 20-26 inches (50-65cm) long.  The males were slightly larger than the females.  The longest one on recorded was 9.5 feet (290cm) from nose to tail.  They stood at about 24 inches (60cm) tall at the shoulder.  They weighed in at a mere 40-70 lbs. (20-30kg).  They were not large animals, with the exception of their mouths.  Due to the structure of their jaws they could open their mouths 120 degrees, and show off all 46 teeth of their teeth.  Scientists think they may have used a yawn as a threat to others. 

The female has a pouch on her abdomen; this meant that they were marsupials, like kangaroos and wombats.    However, the Tasmanian Wolfs’ pouch had the opening to the back, not the front like other marsupials.  The young were held in there just the same as the others.  The Tasmanian Wolf was the largest marsupial carnivore of recent time.

The Beaumaris Zoo in Hobart was said to have had the very last Tasmanian Wolf in existence.  In 1933 “Benjamin” so named by the zoo, died. 

The Australian Conservation Foundation still has hope that one day evidence will be found that some these creatures have managed to survive.  They have so much hope in fact, that at one time they were giving $100 just for sighting of the animals’ tracks. No such proof has surfaced.  So far this strange and unique animal still remains extinct.