Search ongoing for extinct Tasmanian tiger amid efforts to revive species | 60 Minutes

Thylacines — marsupials known as Tasmanian tigers — were declared extinct decades ago, but efforts to find one in the wild are thriving. Scientists are also working to bring back the species.

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[brycepardoe]

I so badly want to believe these creatures still exist

[MattMan]

How do you start this off by comparing the very REAL Thylacine, to a Yeti and Loch Ness Monster?

[sarantissporidis]

First they hunt it to extinction, then they search for it.
Makes sense.

[JD-qhsd]

One problem with this: The thylacine didn't sound anything like that. They're not related to wolves -- they're not canids at all -- and there's no evidence that they ever made any howling sounds like that. Reports from people who actually heard thylacines in the past indicate they were usually mute but would sometimes make short barks (but nothing like dog barks) or squealing sounds.

[taylork]

Don't tell me you're gonna clone the Tas Tiger till you do. I've been hearing this news for over ten years

[TheECSH]

Taiwanese here, and i see a lot of parallels in our stories. In Taiwan, there also used to exist a predator, the clouded leopard. It was the "soul" of the forest and had significant roles in the history of the indigenous tribes. It was driven to extinction by human activities. Similar steps were taken to find any traces of their existence today, such as camara trapping. Sightings have been reported but never confirmed. Some people are adamant that they still exist somewhere in the deep mountains.

[JoniusGnome]

I live in Tasmania. A lot of the landscape here is rugged, steep and inaccessible, with quickly changing weather patterns. I believe the Thylacine still exists. Many extinct species have been found in remote places, look at the Coelacanth, the prehistoric fish found still alive and kicking.

[tourdegadetheskankslayer]

Tasmanian tigers didn't howl like a wolf or dog they supposedly made a "yip" "yip" sound according to first hand accounts from before extinction.

[JMcKey]

The fact that it is a marsupial is the wildest thing to me.

[DonutCrazyYT]

In 1980, we were driving (slowly) up an abandoned train track, on the outskirts of Zeehan, and had to stop, as one passed in front of us. It came from the right, stopped in the middle of the road/tracks (in the full sunlight), looked at us for 10-20 seconds, and then continued walking off to the left. All 4 of us in the car, all agreed we'd seen a Tassie Tiger.

[Tenjirou]

The amount of animal species that went extinct/are going extinct because of human populating, deforestation and hunting is incredible, sad and infuriating.

[kikigood]

Deer actually make some crazy loud weird sounds just not often

[alejandroguerra]

They’ve been talking about cloning it since I was a kid. Now I’m 32 and still waiting 😂

[captmulch]

Ah, yes, the annual Tasmanian Tiger story …

[DalazG]

Something i always struggle to understand is how we seem incapable of ridding invasive species, but species we want, we can't keep.

- Australia can't get rid of African cane toads
- Florida can't get rid of Indian burmese pythons
- Spain can't get rid of carribbean sea urchins

But we struggle to keep native animals alove

[steverichardson]

I remember an incident here in WA where a livestock truck came to grief and a cow escaped into a block of land surrounded by main roads and it took a couple of weeks to find that cow, so a small animal in thousands of square kilometres not hard to believe 🤷🏼

[CompoundingTime]

Remember when we followed old Adrian into the woods and tricked the geezer into think we were Tasmania Tigers howling?

[fluxpistol]

Tasmanian tigers, or thylacines, did not howl. They likely made a variety of sounds such as hissing, coughing, and a distinctive series of husky barking noises that may have served as a form of communication. There isn't any concrete evidence or description from historical observations that suggests they howled like wolves or dogs. Thylacines had a different jaw structure and vocal capability from those canids known for howling. Therefore it likely wasn't a Tasmanian Tiger.

[JacobafJelling]

2:10 when people start imitating the howl, then you know it’s over

[markleon]

Nothing can erase the shame of our ignorance and destruction of environment and species. We must learn from our mistakes and move forward with care.