Some More Thylacines From The London Zoo

This thylacine taxidermy at QVMAG has been nicknamed “Frankentiger” because it was constructed from the parts of two different individuals. American taxidermist Frank Tose is pictured in the black and white photograph above constructing Frankentiger’s plaster form in 1937.

Photos are from Where Light Meets Dark. [x]

Thylacine skull By: W. S. Berridge From: The Book of the Animal Kingdom 1910

 thylacine you have probably never seen before

Forgotten Griffin

Happy First Anniversary to @extinctionstories! When I set up this blog last May, I was mostly hoping for a way to organize my conservation-related work; if people happened to enjoy it, then that would just be a bonus. Instead, I've been blown away by the enthusiasm and interest that you guys have for my art and writing, and the love that we all share for these precious creatures. Thank you so much for listening to their stories; I have plenty more to come

As a birthday treat, here are a couple of quick thylacine studies that I haven't posted before. They are fountain pen and watercolor, on 18x24" paper.

Antique Magic Lantern glass slide of a thylacine. Magic Lanterns are an early type of image projector used for entertainment and educational purposes from the 17th to 19th centuries.

I went to the natural history museum at Harvard a few weeks ago, saw a Tasmanian Tiger in person for the first time, cried about it, and then proceeded to take photos of it from every angle possible as I stared longingly at it for many many minutes.

Thylacine art on an Australian stamp first day cover from 1962.

Here is the Smithsonian thylacine as it currently appears in the museum’s Hall of Mammals. This individual was a female that lived at the National Zoo in Washington, D.C. from 1902 to 1904. She was carrying three pouch young upon her arrival, two of which survived to adulthood (a male and a female, pictured here). Thanks to this little family, the Smithsonian has an impressive collection of thylacine material, but only the mother’s mounted skin is viewable by the public.

Unfortunately, this lovely specimen is displayed behind a fabric curtain in an effort to drive home the concept of extinction. If you go around the side of the display, you can barely catch a glimpse of her rear end.

The exhibit claims that the dingo was responsible for the thylacine’s extinction on mainland Australia, which occurred about 2,000 years ago. New research suggests that the dingo was not really to blame; rather, a changing climate and overhunting by growing Aboriginal populations were the likely causes. [x]

In case you’re curious, here’s a rare “pre-curtain” photo from Flickr:

For more information about the Smithsonian thylacine and her legacy, click here.

Baby baby boy

benjamin, my love