Question 1

True or false: The last known thylacine died in a Tasmanian zoo in 1936.

Accepted Answer

True. Benjamin, the last captive thylacine, died at Beaumaris Zoo in Hobart on September 7, 1936—now National Threatened Species Day.

Question 2

True or false: Thylacines were primarily nocturnal hunters of large kangaroos.

Accepted Answer

False. Thylacines were crepuscular/nocturnal but preyed on small wallabies, birds, and rodents, not large kangaroos.

Question 3

True or false: The thylacine had a pouch that opened backwards, unlike kangaroos.

Accepted Answer

True. Unique among marsupials, the thylacine's pouch opened toward the rear to prevent dirt entering while running through dense brush.

Question 4

True or false: Thylacines were closely related to Tasmanian devils and quolls.

Accepted Answer

False. While all are marsupials, thylacines were in the separate family Thylacinidae, not closely related to devils (Dasyuridae).

Question 5

True or false: Thylacines had stripes only on their back, not their tail.

Accepted Answer

False. Thylacine stripes extended from the back onto the base of the tail, though not all the way to the tip.

Question 6

True or false: Thylacines were officially declared extinct in 1986.

Accepted Answer

False. The IUCN declared the thylacine extinct in 1982, and Tasmania officially declared it extinct in 1986, but the 1936 death is the key event.

Question 7

True or false: Thylacines could open their jaws to an 80-degree angle.

Accepted Answer

True. Their jaw could open almost 80 degrees, far wider than most mammals, to deliver a crushing bite.

Question 8

True or false: Some thylacines were reported to have a dog-like bark.

Accepted Answer

True. Witnesses described a series of short, husky barks or yaps, similar to a dog's, especially when excited or threatened.

Thylacine Trivia Questions