Thylacine controversy

[the one]

trail cams can be tricky some times.i think that long tail is just one of the normal animals that are in that area . and talk about eating things have you seen dying breed , nathan phillips is in it . they eat some yummy things in that ,its set in tas and they are looking for the thylacine.im sure that keep some people out of the bush.maybe they might even be some of our decendents. i hope not. what i would like to see is schools in tasmania and on the mainland set up a couple of the cams especially ones that borders bushland. and have a class showing kids how to used them and learning them about animals and there ways ,certain animals only come out under certain conditions on differnt niight .it would be very educational i sure it would help in locating foxs as well.going by what i know thylacines are not very good eating , tribal people gave them to the old people to eat. i used to trap wild pigs many years ago we would sell them to japan they love the boars they would kill them alive and drink the blood and eat the heart raw , my dogs wouldnt eat cooked boar . well these pigs were full of worms and tb and god knows what else .well the australian govt stopped that. i always wonder did many people in japan got sick from that practice. i always eat the younger pigs and cooked it well, rabbit was my favorite , many ways to cook it.if any of yous know of a good placed in tas where a thylacine maybe i would love hear about it. we are going to need plenty of breeding stock to increased the gene pool again.it be awful if new guinea finds thiers first. but it be very good for the species.

[ben.h]

just looked through some of the photos, and came across this one
http://www.flickr.com/photos/50630057@N04/4998716096/
now, ill be buggered if i can work out what animal that would belong to, the base of the tail seems FAR too thick to be a dog, yet it clearly has a dog-like stance, ruling out a kangaroo... i initially thought a fox, but its clearly a thick stocky base, not just a big bunch of fur like a fox's tail.
the only thing is it doesnt have stripes and the knee? seems to be too high up the rest of the leg, like a dogs...

its odd...

Remarkable. I agree with all the above.
The resemblance to the thylacine rear end is uncanny.
Compare:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/50630057@N04/4998716096/
http://www.windyridgewinery.com.au/thylacine.jpg
http://www.cryptomundo.com/wp-content/thylacine2.jpg

I'd be interested in any head shots you've got...

[the one]

i only got two pics of that animal. i have no head shots . also liamy77 my email said theres a message . all i could see is export csr . im a slow learner with computers and im just getting the hang of them. and to proved there are thylacines there will have to be very good pictures . any pics taken up close and dont show the animal should be treated as a fake even mine. i have two track lines about 40 to 50 pics musuems , have the hide to say i probably fake them, ragers 1080 .museums say fake . lucky for those thys , they have other good reseachers who can help as well as keeping they location quiet. its not hard to get good pictures of animals you just have to be patient and used the right method.

[Liamy77]

Try going to the top left of this screen and click where it says you have a message to view your messages

[Kolbaska]

The one with ong tail looks like a fox. The back and rear legs are dog-like. When not in prime fur condition, foxes may have fur here and there, hence the thick tail base.

I did like the very first foto. The rump is certainly sloping there and the knee is where it would be in thylacine, not a dog. Very fat, too.

[Prokasaurus]

what do you guys make of this:

http://news.mongabay.com/2010/1116-hance_thylacine.html

[the one]

thats a nice fox. does it have v shaped pads if any old timers in tas have seen thyacine tracks, have a look on flickr at the last two pads i put up and the others pads put there . i was told dr guilar had prints like mine but since he past away they have been mislaid. i have many more prints but these are the last i will post . i have work to do.

[montium0870]

Most of the debate for Thylacines seems to revolve around possible photos and sightings and the odd paw print, all of which are hard to verify. Unfortunately one of the easiest ways to gather evidence of large mammals is much less romantic - turds (scats) and hair. If there are Thylacines out there, presumably they like all animals need to take a morning dump on a regular basis, and for most mammals these scats also contain a sample of the critters own hair which can be reliably analysed for identification. As there are museum collections of hides and stuffed animals there would be reliable hair samples to compare any field samples to. My advice for anyone budding Thylacine enthusiasts is, forget about trying to see a flash of striped orange, and start looking for unusual turds, at least the latter is much slower to catch...

[pancake]

just looked through some of the photos, and came across this one
http://www.flickr.com/photos/50630057@N04/4998716096/
now, ill be buggered if i can work out what animal that would belong to, the base of the tail seems FAR too thick to be a dog, yet it clearly has a dog-like stance, ruling out a kangaroo... i initially thought a fox, but its clearly a thick stocky base, not just a big bunch of fur like a fox's tail.
the only thing is it doesnt have stripes and the knee? seems to be too high up the rest of the leg, like a dogs...

its odd...

A daylight shot would've been more interesting but surely some kind of fox with a fair bit of dark colourings on both the top+bottom of the tail hence the dark outline which makes the tail appear skinnier and less 'brushy'..?
If you follow the dark outline all the way it could easily be a 'big bunch of fur' a la fox's tail. I think this must be the explanation since those 'hockey stick' shapes don't really occur in nature

That's my 2c, great scouting though

I.want.to.believe

[wander]

Prokasaurus, I woudl have said the behaviour (not a lot I know) and movements of the animal in the video are very consistent with a Quoll.

[stepbystep]

A colleague is making a documentary on this subject, if anyone has some stories to tell either post them here or PM me, anonymity will be respected.

Cheers

[GregAC82]

This is all fascinating! Have you had any more recent pics 'the one'?

[Stibb]

This documentary is not brand new but I just stumbled across it for the first time. I found it quite interesting so just adding it here for your perusal
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JxcBHS_yUks&feature=g-vrec

[Hallu]

What do people think this is??

It's obviously a quoll with either the white spots Photoshopped or the portion shown doesn't have spots on it... How come nobody mentioned quolls ? It's exactly that size, exactly that type of fur :



Regarding the Thylacine, recently there's been a good BBC documentary searching for nocturnal animals in South America, with stunning results (it's called "The Dark : Nature's Nighttime World" and it features roughly the same team as the amazing "Lost Land of the..." series). They had high resolution infrared cameras, motion sensors, motion triggered cameras, local guides, etc..., everything was state of the art. And the best way to catch a thylacine is hanging motion triggered cameras to certain key points and wait. The idea is that even if such an expedition doesn't find the thylacine, it will help monitor Tasmania's fauna and help understand the impact of feral cats, foxes and wild pigs. Besides, since "Wild Down Under" ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wild_Down_Under ), which looks already dated, there's never been a big descent HD documentary about Australia (except for the one on the great barrier reef a couple of months ago, still a BBC one).

[Mark F]

Back in the late 80's I worked with a Japanese film crew to make a documentary on the thylacine, It was about 10 - 12 days of shooting and we had Dr Nick Mooney with us who was the NPWS biologist who handled the response to any reported thylacine sightings. We visited areas such as Woolnorth, Lake Lea etc. From him I learned quite a bit about them. Around the same time there was a major search over several months by a group in northern Tas which achieved little other than going bankrupt. I have no opinion on whether they remain extant or not but there continue to be stories. The main problem searchers face is that thylacine have a very large home range and it may take 2 or 3 weeks or more before one returns to the same location.

The Japanese film crew brought with them one of Hollywood's leading psychics to help with the search.

[Hallu]

Yeah that's exactly why regarding the thylacine what won't work is a human expedition, but what could is motion triggered cameras, specifically created to be able to stay on and shoot for months. And it would be less expensive than an expedition.

But what makes me think they're not around anymore is that with elusive animals, even when you can't see them, you usually find their dead preys. And the thylacine has a very specific dentition so I guess we should have been able to find evidence on dead preys by now.

Or if some people are so convinced they're still here, why not introducing the emu back in Tasmania, after all the Tasmanian Emu is believe to have been its main diet, and its extinction the main reason for thylacine's decline along with human hunting. Maybe putting some emus next to key areas would make their hypothetical population grow to larger and visible numbers... Just a thought...

[stepbystep]

I know of 3 different groups trying to film one. It's amongst the most sought after vision, worth megabucks.
2 of the crews are using motion detecting cameras.

I've often mused as to whether I would tell anyone if I saw or filmed one...

[phan_TOM]

Yeah, I know, people think you're crazy now...

(Just Joking)

[north-north-west]

I've often mused as to whether I would tell anyone if I saw or filmed one...

You make your images and data available to a major International group, who have the firepower to ensure the area is protected. You don't just have the photos splashed all over the local papers.

[stepbystep]

I've often mused as to whether I would tell anyone if I saw or filmed one...

You make your images and data available to a major International group, who have the firepower to ensure the area is protected. You don't just have the photos splashed all over the local papers.

Yeah but, if people know a 100% positive sighting occurred for example in The Denison Ranges, you would get every so-and-so there trashing the place and probably wiping them out once and for all...

[north-north-west]

Yes, but you make it a condition that the information isn't released publicly, even to support protection of the area.

[sailfish]

But what makes me think they're not around anymore is that with elusive animals, even when you can't see them, you usually find their dead preys. And the thylacine has a very specific dentition so I guess we should have been able to find evidence on dead preys by now.

I am pretty sure I have read descriptions of such kills on the net where there is a great volume of strange reports. That is a problem in itself but still does not prove or disprove anything. Are you sure you are not thinking of thylacoleo on the dentition thing?

Regards,
Ken

[geoskid]

"Scientists confirm limited genetic diversity in the extinct Tasmanian Tiger"
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/20 ... 204931.htm

"The results published April 18 in the international journal PLoS One, provide insights into the genetic health of the thylacine (Thylacinus cynocephalus) before it was exterminated by hunting."

[seagullhike]

Man.. I would love to see one of those guys in the wild.

[Overlandman]

From ABC News
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-10-30/e ... er/5057664

There is to be another bid to search for evidence that Tasmanian tigers are alive and well.

Representatives from the UK-based Centre for Fortean Zoology will join local searchers venturing into the wilderness near Smithton, in Tasmania's north-west.
The British cryptozoologists have previously tried to find Australia's so-called "big foot", the Yowie.
Expedition member Tony Healy says the team will use a range of equipment.
"[We'll have] a lot of trail cameras, game cameras and we've all got infra-red devices... just spotlighting, looking for tracks," he said.
The group will break into small parties to stake out different areas.
Long-time tiger enthusiast Col Bailey has spent decades trying to find evidence that Tasmanian tigers still exist.
He has reservations about a group of 10 people searching together.
"That's a lot of people to take into the field at the one time because low numbers is essential as far as I'm concerned in this and they also say two weeks they're going to be out," he said.
"Well, two weeks is nearly not enough time, you really need three or four weeks to do this properly."
The centre, founded in 1992, is a not-for-profit group set up to investigate unusual or extinct animals.
The last Tasmanian tiger, or thylacine, died in a Hobart zoo in 1933.
The carnivorous marsupial was widely hunted by early settlers trying to protect livestock.

[GPSGuided]

Yes, heard that on the radio this afternoon. Good luck to the Poms!

[geoskid]

Excellent, some 'Thylacine Tourism' - no doubt some of their money will end up the tills of appreciative locals.

Actually, I think Thylacine Tourism should be actively encouraged, I'm sure someone could come up with a tourism product targeted at the credulous with deep pockets.
Get a Russell Coight type character to give a talk and check a few trail cams after dinner for those with a sense of humour.
Perhaps the State Govt. ( or James Randi ) could be persuaded to put up a significant monetary reward to encourage more evidence seekers.
Embrace the ambiguity.

I looked up Fortean Zoology, which lead me to ForteanTimes magazine - Oh, how I wish I hadn't. It's a barren place.

[perfectlydark]

Hmmm if its still exists its clearly in such small numbers as to elude definitive proof for so many years despite much searching..so im not sure if bringing more people in to harrass a sensative species (if still alive) is a good idea.
just my 2c

[roysta]

Hmmm if its still exists its clearly in such small numbers as to elude definitive proof for so many years despite much searching..so im not sure if bringing more people in to harrass a sensative species (if still alive) is a good idea.
just my 2c

I agree with you, but if the 8 or 9 expeditions out into the northwest and southwest by the Centre for Fortean Zoology prove fruitless then perhaps that'll end the matter.

[Drifting]

I wouldn't tell if I found one.

My conspiracy-minded ... well, lets just say someone close to me... is convinced the REAL purpose of the fox taskforce is to ensure Thylacines are extinct. Makes sense- discovering them alive in say, the Tarkine or the Central Plateau, or the NE for that matter, could sure hamper some forestry and mining endeavors.