Tuesday, March 19, 2024
Contact    |    RSS icon Twitter icon Facebook icon  
Unexplained Mysteries
You are viewing: Home > News > Creatures, Myths & Legends > News story
Welcome Guest ( Login or Register )  
All ▾
Search Submit

Creatures, Myths & Legends

New study aims to find evidence of thylacines

By T.K. Randall
March 24, 2017 · Comment icon 26 comments

Could thylacines still roam the wilds of Australia ? Image Credit: Benjamin A. Sheppard
Sightings in Queensland have sparked a new scientific study in to the existence of the Tasmanian tiger.
Despite the fact that the last known living specimen died in Hobart Zoo back in 1936, sightings of Tasmanian tigers have continued in parts of Australia right up until the present day.

Now scientists Professor Bill Laurance and Dr Sandra Abell from James Cook University are hoping to capture concrete video evidence of the species' continued survival by setting up more than 50 camera traps at sites across Cape York where these elusive creatures have allegedly been seen.

"It's really important to get all the facts together and there are a lot of different things we need to be sure of before we spend the resources to actually go out look for something," said Dr Abell.
"We have had declines in our mammals all through Cape York and through Australia, so my concern is that if we leave it too much longer to just go and have a look then we could actually miss out on seeing something."

Even if they don't find any thylacines however the study is still likely to provide a wealth of new data about some of the other species that happen to be roaming these areas.

"There's actually so little baseline information on large expanses of the Cape York Peninsula, so it'll be really valuable data to collect," said Professor Laurance.

Source: ABC.net.au | Comments (26)




Other news and articles
Recent comments on this story
Comment icon #17 Posted by oldrover 7 years ago
There have been rewards offered for a thylacine since the thirties. Walt Disney offered a reward, Ted Turner of Turner Classic Movies (TCM Channel) and husband of Jane Fonda offered $100,000 back in the early 80's, and some magazine offered $1,000,000 back in the 90's. Those are a few. Back in the thirties during the depression the incentive was even more stark. Still no thylacines. You can't catch what isn't there. 
Comment icon #18 Posted by Night Walker 7 years ago
True. Yet, we are all capable of seeing what isn't there. That's the real issue, I suppose -- many subjective sightings (experiences) but the supporting objective evidence is lacking...  
Comment icon #19 Posted by oldrover 7 years ago
Yeah, that's the reality. Not what any of would want, but what we're stuck with.
Comment icon #20 Posted by DieChecker 7 years ago
Well, researchers discovered the New Guinea mountain (singing?) dog after 50 years of supposed extinction, so who knows if a small population might still exist.
Comment icon #21 Posted by Night Walker 7 years ago
It is what it is yet what it is has yet to be adequately described. How does it work? What are the mechanisms? What are the triggers? Can the experience be duplicated? Etc… We cryptozoological hobbyists may not be on the verge of any great zoological discoveries any time soon but that doesn’t mean there are no discoveries to be had…  
Comment icon #22 Posted by oldrover 7 years ago
That's also very true. Cryptozoology is a really interesting area. Nit because of the animals it discusses so much as the way it duscusses them. And probably because there's a discussion of any sort in the first place. It's obvious that these animals don't exist, yet hundreds of people see scores of different weird and wonderful creatures aacross the world every year, and other people believe them. Why? There are probably as many reasons for that as there are cryptids.  Main point I think is that cryptozoology has changed massively over the last 50 years or so. In the old days it was mostly d... [More]
Comment icon #23 Posted by Cryptid_Control 7 years ago
A bit late back at the reply but always have hope! If you look it up, the eastern cougar was declared extinct, but I've had the pleasure along with many others I know of seeing them in the wild. Ask a biologist and they'll refute it but it's common knowledge among hunters here that there's still a decent population hiding out there. Though that does make me wonder why they put research into thylacine which has a rocky history, as opposed to things like the eastern cougar, maybe we could prevent their eventual true extinction. But over all, having first hand experience finding an "extinct" anim... [More]
Comment icon #24 Posted by oldrover 7 years ago
The status eastern cougar as I understand it is considered 'data deficient' in Canada, as opposed to extinct in the eastern U.S. In any event, there are definitely pumas living in the Americas today. Here in Wales we also have a similar situation with the pine marten, smallish animal, but then a very small area to hide. Every thirty or forty years we get a specimen turning up stuck to the tarmac. It's very strange. Thylacines are a different matter, there's no known population anywhere, the last being between about 70-80 years ago. Plus, what a lot of people overlook or aren't aware of is the ... [More]
Comment icon #25 Posted by Cryptid_Control 7 years ago
Frem what I know they're completely "extinct" here in Nova Scotia, last scat found in the early 2000's or 90's. I think they're just focusing on learning about this undiscovered area and media spun it into a tazzie thing.
Comment icon #26 Posted by oldrover 7 years ago
Yes. I have since learned that the sightings are over thirty years old, and are of pretty poor quality. The study, so I understand, is in fact, funded as a study of the area's bettong (rat kangaroo) population.  Why they've brought the tiger into this though? 


Please Login or Register to post a comment.


Our new book is out now!
Book cover

The Unexplained Mysteries
Book of Weird News

 AVAILABLE NOW 

Take a walk on the weird side with this compilation of some of the weirdest stories ever to grace the pages of a newspaper.

Click here to learn more

We need your help!
Patreon logo

Support us on Patreon

 BONUS CONTENT 

For less than the cost of a cup of coffee, you can gain access to a wide range of exclusive perks including our popular 'Lost Ghost Stories' series.

Click here to learn more

Recent news and articles