A plan to bring the Tasmanian tiger back from extinction raises questions
The thylacine had trademark stripes and, rare in the animal world, abdominal pouches in both females and males. The last known specimen died in a zoo in 1936.
by Bill Chappell
Aug 20, 2022
3 minutes
If you haven't heard of the Tasmanian tiger, it's not because it's unworthy of discussion: it's famously not a feline but a dog-like marsupial, a predator that humans hunted to extinction. The last known specimen died in a zoo in 1936.
Now the "de-extinction" company Colossal Biosciences wants to genetically resurrect the Tasmanian tiger, also known as the thylacine (Thylacinus cynocephalus) or the Tasmanian wolf.
"Whatever you call it, this mythically beautiful carnivorous marsupial was a true masterpiece of biological advancement," of the project. "Yet, the story of its extinction is a tragedy of human interference
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