Tasmanian tiger Facts
Tasmanian tiger Facts
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| Interesting Tasmanian tiger Facts: |
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| Tasmanian tiger was 4.6 to 5.1 feet long and it had 40 to 70 pounds of weight. Males were slightly larger than females. |
| Tasmanian tiger had short, light brown coat with 13 to 21 dark transverse stripes on the back. |
| Tasmanian tiger looked like large dog with round ears and stiff tail. Name "Tasmanian tiger" refers to the coat covered with dark stripes, while nickname "Tasmanian wolf" refers to the dog-like shape of the body. Despite morphological similarities with wild cats and canids, Tasmanian devil and banded anteater (numbat) are the closest relatives of Tasmanian tiger. |
| Scientific name of Tasmanian tiger is "Thylacinus cynocephalus" (hence the nickname "thylacine"), which means "dog-headed pouch mammal". |
| Tasmanian tiger was active during the night. |
| Tasmanian tiger had walked quadrupedally (using all four of legs), but it was also able to stand on the hind legs and travel short distances by hopping like a kangaroo. |
| Tasmanian tiger was a carnivore. Its diet was based on the kangaroos, wallabies, small mammals and birds. |
| Tasmanian tiger wasn't very fast and it probably hunted as an ambush predator, using its keen sense of hearing and eyesight to detect the prey. |
| Tasmanian tiger was able to open its jaws for 120 degrees, but it had very weak bite. |
| Both males and females were equipped with pouches. Females had used their pouches to carry poorly developed babies, while males had used their pouches to protect external reproductive organs from the thick bushes, cold weather and injuries during the fight with other males (during the mating season). |
| Tasmanian tigers were able to mate all year round (peak of a mating season was during the winter and spring). Litter size of 2 to 3 babies was common. Babies were spending first 3 months of their life safely tucked inside the mother's pouch. |
| Recent genetic studies suggest that Tasmanian tigers would probably become extinct even without "help" of humans due to lack of genetic diversity in the population. |
| Tasmanian tigers are depicted in the cave art (some pictures are 2000 years old). |
| Tasmanian tiger is on the emblem of Tasmania. |
| Tasmanian tiger had an average lifespan 5 to 7 years in the wild and up to 9 years in the captivity. |
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Related Links: Facts Extinct Animals Facts Animals Facts Animal Facts for Kids |