The thylacine (Thylacinus cynocephalus) is the only species of the marsupial family Thylacinidae to exist into modern times.  It is commonly 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, an excellent example of parallel evolution - a process which occurs as a result of adaptation to similar environments and ways of life.  The thylacine's body shape approximately resembles that of the placental wolf because it is a predator which occupies a similar ecological niche.  Apart from the notable differences in dentition, even the thylacine's skull superficially resembles that of a canid.  Through their separate courses of evolution, many of the marsupial mammals of Australia have arrived at remarkably similar physical forms to the placental mammals found elsewhere in the world.

    The last survivor of an ancient and once diverse family of carnivorous marsupials, the thylacine is a truly amazing and beautiful mammal.  Sadly, out of ignorance, irrational fear, and largely just because it was perceived as an economic threat, a concerted war of extermination was waged against the species.  This resulted in one of man's most focused acts of destruction towards the fauna of Australia, leading to the deaths of thousands of thylacines during the 19th and early 20th centuries.  By the time this persecution was seen as the tragedy that it was, the thylacine had been brought to the brink of extinction.  Today, the thylacine is listed as extinct by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) and International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).  However, there is sufficient evidence in the form of sightings reports, many from highly respected sources, to suggest that the extinction event may not yet have taken place.  Therefore, throughout the museum, the species is viewed as extant, albeit critically endangered.

    The Thylacine Museum is a scientifically referenced virtual museum, and with the release of this significantly expanded fifth edition, is now in its 18th year online.  Many prominent scientists and researchers have contributed to the development of the website, and it is now widely acknowledged as the definitive reference source for the species.

    I am most grateful to my colleague Dr. Stephen Sleightholme, Director of the International Thylacine Specimen Database and author of several scientific papers on the thylacine, for his assistance with the latest update - his help has been invaluable in making the museum what it is today.  I would like to thank Professor Mike Archer, Rosemary (Fleay) Thompson, and Dr. Robert Paddle for their numerous inputs into various sections of the museum, and also the late Professor Heinz Moeller, whose historical archives were central in the expansion of the museum's content.  I would like to express posthumous thanks to the late Dr. Eric Guiler, Australia's leading authority on the thylacine, who along with Moeller, laid the foundations upon which all modern-day research into the species is based.  I am indebted to Col Bailey, author of several books on the thylacine, for his invaluable help with historical research into the bushmen that hunted and trapped the thylacine.  Finally, I would like to express my thanks to all of the museum curators and photographers who contributed to this website, and to the museums themselves for kindly granting permission for the use of their materials.

    The museum will now take you on a journey through time to learn more about this extraordinary and elusive marsupial carnivore.

Cameron R. Campbell
Founder and Curator