Was the Thylacine a marsupial wolf or Tasmanian tiger?
According to recent studies at Brown University, the thylacine, an extinct Australian species of the early 20th century, was more cat than dog, despite its striking canine-like appearance.
It hunted with an ambush approach, which is far different than that of any canine species, which use a method of pursuit in contrast. Bengal tigers crouch in the tall grasses of Southern Asia, their stripes perfect camouflage; African lions crawl slowly through the tall grasses of the African savanna; And, according to reports by hunters of the early 20th century, thylacines also used an ambush-hunting method.
"We provide quantitative support to the suspicions of earlier researchers that the thylacine was not a pursuit predator," said Borja Figueirido, a postdoctoral researcher at Brown University and the paper's lead author. "Although there is no doubt that the thylacine diet was similar to that of living wolves, we find no compelling evidence that they hunted similarly."
Of course, it is foolish to base a thylacine's origins merely by its hunting technique. With such far separation from the mainland, for a canine to ambush its prey rather than to pursuit it in the regions of Tasmania could be considered a very small adaptation, and a crucial one. Any canine would change its hunting approach given the evolutionary situation.
In my personal opinion, there should be more compelling evidence to prove that the thylacine, or "Tasmanian Tiger", was indeed a feline.
I think there should be more anatomical proof, not behavioral proof.
However, the appearance of the thylacine, its tail, its leg structure, all contribute to the possibility that it could have evolved from a tiger split from the Asian mainland. Australia was once connected to Asia, so for the thylacine to evolve from a tiger is entirely possible. Therefore, I believe that the Tasmanian tiger, despite its canine head anatomy, is in fact a feline.
Your fellow biologist, Ashley
According to recent studies at Brown University, the thylacine, an extinct Australian species of the early 20th century, was more cat than dog, despite its striking canine-like appearance.
It hunted with an ambush approach, which is far different than that of any canine species, which use a method of pursuit in contrast. Bengal tigers crouch in the tall grasses of Southern Asia, their stripes perfect camouflage; African lions crawl slowly through the tall grasses of the African savanna; And, according to reports by hunters of the early 20th century, thylacines also used an ambush-hunting method.
"We provide quantitative support to the suspicions of earlier researchers that the thylacine was not a pursuit predator," said Borja Figueirido, a postdoctoral researcher at Brown University and the paper's lead author. "Although there is no doubt that the thylacine diet was similar to that of living wolves, we find no compelling evidence that they hunted similarly."
Of course, it is foolish to base a thylacine's origins merely by its hunting technique. With such far separation from the mainland, for a canine to ambush its prey rather than to pursuit it in the regions of Tasmania could be considered a very small adaptation, and a crucial one. Any canine would change its hunting approach given the evolutionary situation.
In my personal opinion, there should be more compelling evidence to prove that the thylacine, or "Tasmanian Tiger", was indeed a feline.
I think there should be more anatomical proof, not behavioral proof.
However, the appearance of the thylacine, its tail, its leg structure, all contribute to the possibility that it could have evolved from a tiger split from the Asian mainland. Australia was once connected to Asia, so for the thylacine to evolve from a tiger is entirely possible. Therefore, I believe that the Tasmanian tiger, despite its canine head anatomy, is in fact a feline.
Your fellow biologist, Ashley
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