The Extinct Tasmanian Tiger’s Bite Was Unlike Any Other Predatory Mammal’s

The extinction of the thylacine, also known as the Tasmanian tiger or Tasmanian wolf, is particularly poignant as it lived into the 20th century, with even footage of the last known specimen existing. The cause of its demise is unequivocal: from the early 19th century, farmers and the Tasmanian government placed bounties on the thylacine to protect livestock.

Over nearly a century, around 3,500 were hunted down, and preservation efforts failed just weeks before the last individual passed away in captivity. A new study, however, challenges the notion that thylacines posed any threat to livestock. These marsupials, more closely related to kangaroos than wolves, have distinctive features that make them unsuitable predators for large animals like cattle and sheep.

Researchers from Flinders University in Australia conducted an in-depth analysis of thylacine skulls, revealing a set of unique traits. Their skulls are relatively large for their body size, allowing them to open their mouths wide—up to 80 degrees. Additionally, their jaws are long, slender, and tall, which are not conducive to holding down large prey.

This anatomical design suggests that thylacines were better adapted to ambushing smaller animals such as bandicoots, pademelons, and possums. Study author Vera Weisbecker explained that a longer jaw enables a faster tip movement during a bite, increasing the impact force. This bite force, combined with the thylacine’s large skull, allowed it to withstand significant bite impacts.

While this combination of a large head and swift, snapping jaws is unique among meat-eating mammals, it is more prevalent in other carnivorous groups, such as crocodiles and predatory fish. The fear of thylacines preying on herds of livestock was thus unfounded. The tragedy of the thylacine's extinction became apparent a century too late.