Researchers Discover the Skeleton and Skin of a Long-Lost Tasmanian Tiger in a Museum Drawer.
Tasmanian Tiger Specimen Displayed at TMAG. (Photo: TMAG).
The Remains of the Last Tasmanian Tiger were found in a collection at a museum in Tasmania, Guardian reported on December 5. It was only recently that researchers were able to identify the remains of the animal, which were added to the collection of the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery (TMAG) in 1936.
The last Tasmanian Tiger died at the Beaumaris Zoo in Hobart on the night of September 7, 1936. For many years, museum managers and researchers searched for its remains but were unsuccessful, according to Dr. Robert Paddle. He noted that no specimens of the Tasmanian Tiger were recorded in the animal collection, leading researchers to believe that the remains had been discarded.
However, examinations by Paddle and the vertebrate curator at TMAG, Kathryn Medlock, revealed that the remains of the Tasmanian Tiger were indeed at the museum. According to Medlock, they discovered a record from a taxidermist in the museum’s annual report for 1936-1937, mentioning the Tasmanian Tiger in the list of specimens he worked on. This prompted them to re-examine all the skins and skeletons of Tasmanian Tigers in TMAG’s collection. Ultimately, they found a skeleton with a layer of skin on top. This was not a research specimen but rather an educational one.
Paddle stated that the Tasmanian Tiger they found was an older female trapped by hunter Elias Churchill in the southern mountains of Tasmania and sold to the zoo in May 1936. The animal lived only a few months after being captured. When it died, its remains were transferred to TMAG.
