{"id":139269,"date":"2025-09-07T11:35:13","date_gmt":"2025-09-07T11:35:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/139269\/"},"modified":"2025-09-07T11:35:13","modified_gmt":"2025-09-07T11:35:13","slug":"scientists-discover-that-the-tasmanian-tiger-was-doomed-millions-of-years-before-its-extinction-its-dna-hid-the-seeds-of-its-demise-long-before-human-hunting","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/139269\/","title":{"rendered":"Scientists discover that the Tasmanian tiger was doomed millions of years before its extinction\u2014its DNA hid the seeds of its demise long before human hunting"},"content":{"rendered":"

When you hear the word \u2018\u2019tiger\u2019\u2019 you probably think of a powerful feline with stripes that lives in the jungles of Asia. However, the Tasmanian tiger<\/a> (also known as thylacine) was very different because even though it had stripes and it looked like a wolf, it wasn\u2019t a feline. Although \u2018\u2019tiger\u2019\u2019 is included in its name, it was a marsupial, which means it was closely related to kangaroos and the Tasmanian devil. The last Tasmanian tiger died in captivity in 1936 and since then it has become a global symbol of extinction.<\/p>\n

For decades, it was believed that this species disappeared because of human hunting, habitat destruction, and competition with dogs (dingoes). But new genetic research shows that the truth is far more complicated. So, let\u2019s learn more about the story of this animal, shall we?<\/p>\n

A tiger in trouble since millions of years ago<\/p>\n

A team of scientists from the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research in Bhopal analyzed the genome of the Tasmanian tiger, this is like the guide in its DNA). The result? The marsupial had already lost its fundamental genes to survive 6 million years ago! These genes were related to:<\/p>\n

Fighting off viruses and diseases.
\nProcessing fats for energy.
\nProducing strong, nutritious milk for its young.
\nProtecting against health problems like cancer or pancreatitis.<\/p>\n

Although the it looked like a predator on the outside, its DNA hid some weaknesses that made it more vulnerable with time.<\/p>\n

Living in a difficult world<\/p>\n

When the tiger was losing its genes, Australia was going through serious climate changes. The continent experienced glaciations and long periods of drought that transformed ecosystems. Many species could adapt, but the marsupial\u2026 with such a weak DNA it struggled to keep up.<\/p>\n

As humans reached Australia, the Tasmanian tiger had already had a very low genetic diversity. This means it didn\u2019t have enough variations in its DNA to resist new diseases, rivals or environmental changes. Basically, this marsupial was a victim of human hunting, but also its destiny was already set due to its own biology.<\/p>\n

Tasmania<\/p>\n

For centuries, this marsupial could survive on Tasmania island, a place free from dingos where this species could have a break. However, its genetic issues didn\u2019t disappear, so when European settlers arrived with their guns, traps, and livestock, the tiger didn\u2019t have any chances to recover.<\/p>\n

Lesson learnt from this story<\/p>\n

The new study changes the way we understand extinction<\/a> because we tend to believe that a species disappear just because of humans. As you have seen, the Tasmanian tiger proves that evolution can be the reason for an animal\u2019s extinction.<\/p>\n

Nowadays, this idea is really important because many species could be losing genetic diversity without even knowing it. Of course, we need to have a healthy ecosystem, but if our animals lack diversity in their DNA, a disease or climate change could end with them.<\/p>\n

This is why scientists insist on the need to study the genome of threatened species because extinction doesn\u2019t always start with a bullet or a trap, but with silent mutations that nobody knows until it\u2019s too late.<\/p>\n

The tiger\u2019s legacy<\/p>\n

The Tasmanian tiger will be remembered for its strange look (a mix of wolf, tiger, and marsupial) and the lesson it taught us. Today, fewer than 14,000 Tasmanian tigers\u2019 closest relatives\u2014the Tasmanian devils\u2014remain in the wild. So, the story of the Tasmanian tiger is a reminder: if we want to prevent more extinctions, we must act now to protect both animals and their genetic diversity. Have you ever heard about this animal? It is an incredible story, isn\u2019t it?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"When you hear the word \u2018\u2019tiger\u2019\u2019 you probably think of a powerful feline with stripes that lives in…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":139270,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[50],"tags":[200,79],"class_list":["post-139269","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-genetics","tag-genetics","tag-science"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/139269","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=139269"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/139269\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/139270"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=139269"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=139269"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=139269"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}