Watchful eyes, thoughtful mind: Almost gone ... Thylacine

Guest post series 'Almost gone ...' by Scott Bright (@Speciesguy)

Meet the Thylacine

Well hello to you, and welcome. What species can open it's mouth like a crocodile, has stripes like a Zebra, and a tail of that came from who knows where? Oh wait, one other feature, it has a pouch like a Kangaroo! Give up? Well, it's called the Thylacine, or,"wolf headed pouch dog” if you look it up in Latin. But it went extinct back around 1939. Or did it? Read on.

There are a number of articles that have been written about this animal. Why? First, it's a flat out interesting topic to read and write about. And second, a certain someone offered a great deal of money for real time footage of one; 1.25 million dollars to be exact of someone that can show real footage of this species.

Did this species go extinct?

It will have to be listed as one of the most endangered species. This snap shot above is from the Hobart Zoo in 1936. That's when they supposedly went extinct. But hold the phone. Extinct? Do you think they still exist? You be the careful investigator and find out! See an interactive map of all the reported sightings in Australia. How in the world did this species evolve? Who did it propagate with to get its shape? Australia is famous for animals that came out strange from the species assembly line!

How about the Southern Hairy nosed Wombat from Australia? It's a bear. Wait, no, it's got the nose of a rabbit. No, wait, I know, how about a pig? And my favourite characteristic, its pouch is upside down! Hey, if you dug as much as they did, and you were the baby, you'd love that feature to keep your pouch home dirt free. Yes, having a pouch upside down is weird and smart at the same time, and, not to mention, a lot of years of evolution.

Back to the Thylacine

I was shocked, as I'm sure you are too, with how wide a Thylacine can open its jaw! I mean wider than a lion, leopard, grizzly bear, just fill in the blank. The first thing that came to my mind was a crocodile. Why did it develop this way? What did it need to grab hold of that it required that kind of function? Maybe there's an expert on here that could answer some of these stirring questions. And where in the world did it get its stripes? Just a portion of its backsides has stripes; how weird is that?

Lessons from extinction?

Why did the Thylacines numbers go way south? Well, livestock was being threatened and farmers exterminated them. And just what can be learned from this? Well, as you might know, a similar kind of situation is happening in the United States right this moment with the wolves. It's happening with the Gray Wolf and the livestock there. But the awareness level is way high with this endangered species. Environmental organizations are in court to change rulings for the benefit of the wolf. It's this kind of awareness and petitions for people to sign would keep the Thylacine around. It makes for good checks and ensures balance.

Environmental organizations are making a difference.

One final point I'd like to make. There are solutions that mankind can create for endangered species if we would just put to use our eighteen billion brain cells. Here is an example how man stepped in and created a solution to an endangered species situation in Africa. Conservation International is one such group. Some farmers in Africa were seeing the cheetah was killing their livestock, so they started exterminating them. Well, if I was a farmer, and my cows were disappearing, that would seem like the course of action to take. Anyways, an environmental organization learned that this was happening and came up with a brilliant solution! They started paying the farmers for the livestock the cheetahs were eating. And the result? Now the farmers let the cheetahs live!

To Sum Up

As you are aware, there are many more species that need this kind of protection, the wolf, the sharks, and the polar bears to name a few. According to the IUCN (International Union for the Conservation of Nature), 16,928 species are endangered at this time. Don't get me started! It's all up on my web site. If you have kids that love wild animals, they will have fun on my site. I write about the value of each species, and why they're important.

I really hope the Thylacine is discovered again, because there are lessons to be learned from the crazy method called "extermination”. Well, for those of you that dream of a land where no species are endangered, I created a web site for kids and all to learn some fun wild animal facts about species around the world. Click below. I can't wait to hear from kids. Plus, come say Hi on Twitter.

Let's stop extinction in its tracks with kid's learning. Because when kids get enthused, there' is no stopping them. They can share with their friends and even write to a leader!