The Tasmanian Wolf (Thylacine)

The Thylacine was a large carnivorous marsupial that once lived in Australia and later only in Tasmania. It had a dog-like body, a stiff tail, and dark stripes across its back, but it was not related to dogs. Like kangaroos, it carried its young in a pouch.

It is best known by the name thylacine, but it also goes by several other names. These include Tasmanian tiger, Tasmanian wolf, zebra dog, pouched wolf, and marsupial dog.

Its scientific name, Thylacinus cynocephalus, means “dog-headed pouched one”, reflecting its unusual mix of features.

Rolf the Thylacine appears in Lost on Infinity, set on the Island of Infinity, where the last of every extinct species gathers as time spirals into the past. He lives among the rocks at the entrance, watching each new arrival with quiet caution after humans hunted his kind to extinction.

He does not trust humans, but when Rockford the dog arrives frightened and confused, Rolf softens. Staying close, he gently tries to cheer him up, even managing a dry joke: “At least you’ll be famous! Most of us no-one’s ever heard of!”

The Thylacine became extinct mainly due to human actions. From 1888 to 1909, the Tasmanian government paid bounties for dead thylacines, leading to thousands being killed because they were believed to attack sheep. This threat was likely overstated, but the damage was done. At the same time, land was cleared across Tasmania for farming, which reduced habitat and prey. Competition with introduced dogs added further pressure on an already declining population.

As numbers fell, the species could not recover. Small populations struggle to breed and become vulnerable to chance events. There is also some evidence that disease may have played a role, though this is not confirmed. The final blow came from a lack of protection and poor care in captivity. The last known thylacine died in 1936 at Hobart Zoo. Its extinction shows how quickly a species can disappear when fear, habitat loss, and delayed action combine.