Changes

==Description==

==Description==

The thylacine had a body length of 39 to 51 inches, a tail length of 20 to 26 inches, and a weight of 40 to 70 pounds. The shoulder height was about 24 inches.  The fur was short and rough, tan to yellow-brown in color, and from just behind the shoulder blades to the base of the tail it bore 13 to 19 black-brown transverse stripes, resulting in the "tiger" name.  The only other color was a small amount of white around the eyes and ears. The thylacine showed amazing similarities with some carnivores from the Canidae family, with a somewhat wider skull bearing 46 teeth. Similar to dogs, the canines were long and the jaws sharp; additionally the gape of the mouth was very wide, which could open up to 80 degrees. The limbs were rather short, the legs each ended in five toes. The animals were not very fast runners, reaching a speed of up to 24 mph, far less than comparably-sized dogs; film of captive specimens indicate it was somewhat kangaroo-like on his hind legs, with the tail serving as a support.  Like other marsupials it carried its young in a pouch, which opened towards the rear.

The thylacine had a body length of 39 to 51 inches, a tail length of 20 to 26 inches, and a weight of 40 to 70 pounds. The shoulder height was about 24 inches.  The fur was short and rough, tan to yellow-brown in color, and from just behind the shoulder blades to the base of the tail it bore 13 to 19 black-brown transverse stripes, resulting in the "tiger" name.  The only other color was a small amount of white around the eyes and ears. The thylacine showed amazing similarities with some carnivores from the Canidae family, with a somewhat wider skull bearing 46 teeth. Similar to dogs, the canines were long and sharp; additionally the gape of the mouth was very wide, which could open up to 80 degrees. The limbs were rather short, the legs each ended in five toes. The animals were not very fast runners, reaching a speed of up to 24 mph, far less than comparably-sized dogs; film of captive specimens indicate it was somewhat kangaroo-like on his hind legs, with the tail serving as a support.  Like other marsupials it carried its young in a pouch, which opened towards the rear.

 

Prior to the extinction thylacines were not fully studied; most observations on their habits came from captive zoo animals.  They were usually nocturnal, but were sometimes observed during daylight.  It was a solitary animal, but sometimes hunted in pairs or small groups.  It made several sounds: a dull barking during the hunt, a growling when angry, and a whine, which presumably served to communicate with other thylacines.  It has been claimed they were stamina hunters, i.e. pursuing prey until they tired out and were killed by the thylacine's powerful bite; certainly this factor has garnered a reputation of being a sheep-killer resulting in the 19th to early-20th century persecution.  Recent investigations by a team led by Marie Attard from the University of New South Wales in Sydney have painted a different story.  Using computer models and jaw comparisons with other predators, she has determined that the thylacine had a relatively-weak bite; a sheep would have been an impossible kill.  This, plus the animal's slow speed - it was a persevering runner - meant that it went after small prey such as wallabies, bandicoots, and possums<ref>https://www.science.unsw.edu.au/news/thylacines-weak-jaws-linked-its-extinction</ref>.    

Prior to the extinction thylacines were not fully studied; most observations on their habits came from captive zoo animals.  They were usually nocturnal, but were sometimes observed during daylight.  It was a solitary animal, but sometimes hunted in pairs or small groups.  It made several sounds: a dull barking during the hunt, a growling when angry, and a whine, which presumably served to communicate with other thylacines.  It has been claimed they were stamina hunters, i.e. pursuing prey until they tired out and were killed by the thylacine's powerful bite; certainly this factor has garnered a reputation of being a sheep-killer resulting in the 19th to early-20th century persecution.  Recent investigations by a team led by Marie Attard from the University of New South Wales in Sydney have painted a different story.  Using computer models and jaw comparisons with other predators, she has determined that the thylacine had a relatively-weak bite; a sheep would have been an impossible kill.  This, plus the animal's slow speed - it was a persevering runner - meant that it went after small prey such as wallabies, bandicoots, and possums<ref>https://www.science.unsw.edu.au/news/thylacines-weak-jaws-linked-its-extinction</ref>.

==Range and habitat==

==Range and habitat==