According to foreign media reports, news came out on the Internet on Monday that someone in Australia may have photographed a Tasmanian tiger family, which is exciting. The Tasmanian tiger, also known as the thylacine wolf, was declared extinct decades ago, so if it can be confirmed, it must be something to celebrate. Unfortunately, Nick Mooney, a wildlife biologist at the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery (TMAG), reviewed the photos and determined that "these animals are unlikely to be thylacines, but most likely Tasmanian wallabies".
While there have been previous reports of people seeing Tasmanian tigers, no one has confirmed it since 1936. According to TMAG, the museum "often receives verification requests from the public who want the Tasmanian Tiger to remain with us".
As can be seen in this video of Benjamin, the last Tasmanian tiger animal in captivity in 1935, the animals had several notable features, including a striped hip and a stiff tail. Still, it's not hard to imagine a hopeful observer seeing Tasmanian tigers in photographs of other animals.
The small, furry nocturnal wallabies were once one of the foods of the carnivorous Tasmanian tiger. They are extinct on the Australian continent but still thrive in Tasmania, and their continued existence is something to celebrate.