Not to be confused with the Tasmanian Devil.
Killing at night with a bone-crushing bite, the Tasmanian wolf decimated sheep herds and struck fear and outrage into sheep farmers. Superstitions even arose that this wolf craved blood like a vampire. The animal was eventually hunted to an early extinction.
Big Mouth: The wolf could open its jaws enormously wide, at an angle of over 160°, much wider than a normal wolf. The animal’s powerful jaw muscles helped it smash through the bones of its victims.
Invisible Stalker: Dark stripes, numbering nine to thirteen, started at the middle of the back and ran down its body along the tail. They provided camouflage as the wolf watched for prey from the shadows.
Zebra Wolf?[]
The last known Tasmanian wolf died at Hobart Zoo in Australia on Sept. 7, 1936.
When the Tasmanian wolf was first spotted, no one knew exactly what it was. Some called it a tiger, some a wolf and others a zebra wolf. Most agreed it was a bloodthirsty killer, and people shot, poisoned and trapped the animal until there were no more left.
Mood Swing: The wolf’s 2-foot-long tail was stiff and thick at the base. The animal could sit back on it like a kangaroo. Unlike dogs, this animal didn’t wag its tail to show its mood.
Close Kin: Despite its name, the Tasmanian wolf is much more closely related to a kangaroo than a wolf. Like many animals from the Australian area, it was a member of the marsupial group of mammals.
Rack of Lamb[]
- With jaws open wide, the Tasmanian wolf could grab onto prey, such as sheep or a kangaroo, with a death-grip in one bite.
- Sometimes it simply bit into its victim’s throat. Other times it would take an animal’s entire head in its jaws, exerting tremendous pressure to crush the skull for an instant kill.
- The Tasmanian wolf devoured its prey straight away while the carcass was still fresh. It tore off meat until its belly was full.
Trading Card[]
Trivia[]
- The Tasmanian wolf is the most recently extinct animal in Monsters of the Past, going extinct in the 1930s, less than 100 years before the start of the series.
- Because of this, it’s the only Monster of the Past to have an actual photograph of a living specimen.
- The Tasmania wolf is mentioned as a relative to the Thylacoleo on the latter's knowledge card.
- The Tasmanian wolf is featured on several Monster Mania cards:
- It is first featured in Look Out! on Monster Mania 3.
- It is then featured in Man & Beast on Monster Mania 40.
- It is later featured in Where In The World? on Monster Mania 49.