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Tasmanian tiger (Thylacinus cynocephalus)

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Tasmanian tiger (Thylacinus cynocephalus) is a carnivorous marsupial of modern times the largest ever known. This beast comes from Australia and New Guinea and was declared extinct in the 20th century. This beast is called the Tasmanian tiger because his back is patterned stripes, but there is also a call Tasmanian wolf, and from mouth to mouth is called tiger Tassie (or Tazzy) Tiger or this is the last species of the genus, Thylacinus. Most of the species found in the form of fossils dating from the early Miocene.

Tasmanian tiger (Thylacinus cynocephalus)
Tasmanian tiger Picture Illustration

Tasmanian tiger became extinct in mainland Australia thousands of years before the arrival of Europeans in Australia, but managed to survive on the island of Tasmania along with a number of other endemic species, including the Tasmanian devil. In addition to prizes due to excessive hunting, the extinction of these animals may also be caused by disease, dog, and human disturbance of habitat. Although officially considered extinct, reports of sightings of these animals still exist.

Tasmanian tiger (Thylacinus cynocephalus)
Tasmanian tiger real Picture

As tigers and wolves in the northern hemisphere, the Tasmanian tiger is a predator at the top of the food chain. As a marsupial, an animal is not associated with eutheria. Similarities posture and adaptation caused by convergent evolution. The closest relatives of this species is the Tasmanian devil.

Tasmanian tiger (Thylacinus cynocephalus)
Tasmanian tiger real Picture

The ambition of scientists to revive the Tasmanian tiger species since the last few years finally coming to fruition. They managed to isolate genes uniquely Australian marsupial that became extinct it and turn it back in mouse cells.

Tasmanian tiger DNA was extracted from 100-year old preserved specimens stored in liquid ethanol at Museum Victoria, Melbourne. The genetic material was still active well when injected into mouse embryonic cells. DNA can control the Col2a1 gene in mice that plays a role in early growth cartilage before it grows into hard bone.

Tasmanian tiger (Thylacinus cynocephalus)
Tasmanian tiger real Picture

With this technique, Pask and his team can learn the nature and functions of the Tasmanian tiger genes. Revive the genes of animals have become extinct also create opportunities for revive back. However, Pask did not deny that the technique has not been enough to revive the Tasmanian tiger. Because, in a single living species on average there are 30,000 different genes. Tasmanian tiger or thylacine species became extinct in 1936 when the last species in the Hobart Zoo died. Animals for dogs that have a pouch on her belly and distinctive with striped backs it was not found in wild habitats since the beginning of the 19th century.