A new scientific study transformed knowledge about the Australian thylacine, also known as the "Tasmanian tiger." The research discovered that this native predator was totally different from the wolves and wild dogs with which it was previously compared before its extinction.
Scientists determined that the thylacine had no close relationship with canids, as previously believed. Instead, the animal belonged to a completely distinct evolutionary lineage.
The study revealed that the thylacine's true relationship was with marsupials, such as the kangaroo, and not with wolves or dogs. This discovery represents a new twist in studies about the origins of this extinct species.
The thylacine was eliminated by humans, with the last known specimen dying in captivity in 1936. The research sheds new light on the evolutionary history of this mysterious animal that inhabited Australia and Tasmania.
