Welcome to The Thylacine Museum, an online reference guide to the thylacine.  Here you will find information covering virtually all aspects of the natural history of this very unique Australian marsupial.  The thylacine (Thylacinus cynocephalus) is the only species of the marsupial family Thylacinidae to have existed within historical times.  It is often referred to as the Tasmanian "tiger" or Tasmanian "wolf", but being a marsupial, it is neither a tiger or a wolf in any true sense.  It is, however, a perfect example of the principle of "parallel evolution".  This is the process by which a species gradually develops a physical form very similar to that of a distantly related species from the same evolutionary lineage.  This occurs as a result of adaptation to similar environments and ways of life.  The thylacine's body shape roughly resembles that of the placental wolf because it too is a cursorial predator which lives and hunts in much the same way.  Even the skull structure is superficially similar to that of a canid, apart from the marked differences in dentition.

    The thylacine is a truly magnificent creature which has few rivals in terms of beauty and uniqueness among its marsupial and placental relatives.  Nonetheless, the thylacine is the victim of one of man's most ruthless acts of destruction toward the fauna of Australia.  In an all-out genocidal assault against the species, thousands of thylacines were destroyed by man during the 19th and early 20th centuries.  Regrettably, the animal is now considered by many to be extinct.  The thylacine has long been one of my special areas of research and study, and through this virtual museum, I hope to promote a greater awareness for this most amazing of marsupials.  I will end my introduction here, as you will find the thylacine's full story within the Museum's topical sections.

    Just click on one of the topic listings shown below to begin your tour of The Thylacine Museum.  You may choose from one of the menu bar listings to go to a specific area within a section, or simply click on each section's title image (which will take you the the first page of each).
 

NEW! Jan. 30, '03 - NOW ONLINE - The Thylacine Journey.