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Tasmanian tiger skull shows it was different than any living mammal
Researchers found the thylacine’s skull was built for a powerful snap on small prey, challenging myths that it hunted livestock.
- A new study published August 31, 2026, in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences found Tasmanian tigers likely hunted small, rabbit-size prey rather than livestock.
- British colonists in Tasmania mistakenly viewed thylacines as wolf-like predators, blaming them for livestock losses that were actually caused by feral dogs and human mismanagement.
- Researchers found thylacine skulls were long and slender, lacking the robustness of a grey wolf's jaw, suggesting a quick, snapping motion ideal for capturing small prey like bandicoots.
- Professor Vera Weisbecker of Flinders University said these findings "counter the myths that drove the thylacine to extinction," while collaborators like Professor Andrew Pask pursue de-extinction efforts.
- Australia has lost more mammal species than any other country worldwide, with 40% of its marsupial species threatened, prompting Weisbecker to pursue research identifying irreplaceable biodiversity at risk.
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Total News Sources11
Leaning Left1Leaning Right0Center10Last UpdatedBias Distribution91% Center
Bias Distribution
- 91% of the sources are Center
91% Center
C 91%
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