Not tiger, not wolf: Australian thylacine skull reveals a far different hunting style
Recent 3D scans of extinct thylacine skulls reveal the marsupial hunted with a crocodile-style snapping bite and an opportunistic style entirely unlike modern predatory mammals such as wolves or big cats. Australia's extinct thylacine, or Tasmanian tiger, was not the powerful predator European settlers had assumed. A UK collector also recently discovered a thylacine skull hidden inside a mounted fox head purchased for sixty-two thousand pounds.
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- ✓ Three-dimensional scans of the Tasmanian tiger's skull reveal it had crocodile-style snapping jaws.
- ✓ A UK collector paid sixty-two thousand pounds for a mounted fox head that X-rays revealed contained the skull of an extinct thylacine.
What changed
New 3D scan analysis of thylacine skulls overturned historical assumptions about how the extinct marsupial hunted its prey.
Live updates
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Tasmanian Tiger Skull Analysis Reveals Unique Hunting Style
Recent 3D scans of extinct thylacine skulls reveal the marsupial hunted with a crocodile-style snapping bite and an opportunistic style entirely unlike modern predatory mammals such as wolves or big cats. Australia's extinct thylacine, or Tasmanian tiger, was not the powerful predator European settlers had assumed. A UK collector also recently discovered a thylacine skull hidden inside a mounted fox head purchased for sixty-two thousand pounds.
Why it matters
For generations, scientists and European settlers assumed the thylacine hunted like a canine or a tiger. New morphological analyses overturn these long-held assumptions about the species' biomechanics and behavior. Understanding its distinct biological makeup sheds new light on the predatory habits of the long-extinct marsupial.
What is confirmed
- Three-dimensional scans of the Tasmanian tiger's skull reveal it had crocodile-style snapping jaws.
- A UK collector paid sixty-two thousand pounds for a mounted fox head that X-rays revealed contained the skull of an extinct thylacine.
Still unconfirmed
- There are ongoing searches in Victoria's wilderness for the elusive Tasmanian tiger.
What to watch next
- Further biomechanical studies on extinct marsupial skull morphology
- Additional identification of misplaced thylacine specimens in private collections
confidence 100%Sources used for this update (16)
- Phys.org — Not tiger, not wolf: Australian thylacine skull reveals a far different hunting style
- ABC News & Headlines – Australian Broadcasting Corporation — Thylacine incomparable to any animal alive, study finds
- The Conversation — 3D scans of Tasmanian tiger’s skull reveal it had crocodile-style snapping jaws
- Nature — Skull morphology of the extinct Tasmanian tiger suggests unique biting style
- The Times of India — A UK collector paid £62,000 for a mounted 'fox' head; X-rays revealed the skull of an extinct thylacine hidden inside
- nautil.us — The Extinct Tasmanian Tiger’s Bite Was Unlike Any Other Predatory Mammal’s
- Gizmodo — We Were Wrong About How the Extinct Tasmanian Tiger Hunted Its Prey
- Sci.News — Tasmanian Tiger’s Skull Reveals Hunting Style with No Modern Match
- Yahoo News Australia — Tasmanian tiger movement compared to other apex predators
- Solicitors Journal — Looking beyond the label
- EurekAlert! — Not tiger, not wolf: Australian thylacine skull reveals far different hunting style
- Sci.News — Tasmanian Tiger Hunted Like Opportunist, Not Wolf, New Research Suggests
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