Not Tiger, Not Wolf: Australian Thylacine Skull Reveals a Far Different Hunting Style
Researchers found the Tasmanian tiger used a unique snapping bite to catch small prey, challenging the livestock-killer myth that fueled its persecution.
- Flinders University researchers recently discovered that thylacines utilized "high-impact snapping" to catch small prey, a mechanism unlike any living carnivorous mammal, according to findings published in Nature Communications.
- Australia's colonists hunted the iconic thylacine to extinction 90 years ago, driven by widespread myths that the marsupial was a ferocious predator of sheep despite little evidence.
- Researchers analyzed 225 specimens, finding the thylacine's snout was long and slender, unlike the robust snout of a grey wolf, and suited for catching small prey like bandicoots.
- "Our latest findings on their feeding adaptations counter the myths that drove the thylacine to extinction," Professor Vera Weisbecker said, noting the unique skull enabled a "bite unlike any other living meat-eating mammal."
- Professor Weisbecker advised that "respectfully requesting knowledge from Indigenous custodians about the unique Australian wildlife should be key to our future research," describing the extinction as preventable.
12 Articles
12 Articles
Not tiger, not wolf: Australian thylacine skull reveals a far different hunting style
A new study led by Flinders University has flipped the historical narrative about Australia's thylacine, finding the native apex predator known as the "Tasmanian tiger" was significantly different from the wolves and wild dogs it was likened to before being hunted to extinction.
Thylacine Skull Mystery: Fearsome Predator or Agile Hunter of Small Prey?
The thylacine, or Tasmanian wolf, long carried the reputation of a ruthless predator of livestock. However, a new 3D analysis of the extinct marsupial's skull suggests that its jaw was built for agility and small prey rather than the brute force required to take down sheep. Researchers led by Vera Weissbecker used computer tomography and 3D modeling to compare thylacine skulls with dozens of modern and extinct mammals. The findings revealed a st…
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