The Thylacine was a large carnivorous marsupial, named the Tasmanian Tiger for his striped hide. He is an example of convergent evolution - being a dog-like predator related to the Tasmanian Devil and the Quoll. Unlike most marsupials, both male and female had a pouch: the male's acting to protect his external reproductive organs in his thickly forested home. He had a very large gape, capable of opening his jaws to 120 degree angle. Already extirpated from the mainland due to competition with the introduced Dingo (as well as disease), his last refuge was the island of Tasmania. Early settlers decided that he posed a threat to their lifestock, and set about diligently eliminating the species. The last wild speciman was shot in 1930, and the last captive died in 1936.
There are a surprisingly large number of unconfirmed Thylacine sightings, both in Tasmania and south-east Australia. Thylacine can be distinguished from a dog by his long, stiff tail which is held more akin to that of a kangaroo's, and an awkward gait (described by one maybe-sighter as "resembling bad CGI"). I know I am not alone in hoping that there are still some of this strange carnivorous kangaroo-like creature roaming the wooded areas of Australia. And, indeed, would dearly love to have my own own unconfirmed sighting to add to the list. Maybe next year, when we go to Tasmania...
http://www.thylacineresearchunit.org/sightingreports.htm
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