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Not tiger, not wolf: Australian thylacine skull reveals a far different hunting style
Developing
The findings are an intriguing addition to a previous study by University of Melbourne School of BioSciences co-authors Professor Andrew Pask and Dr. Axel Newton, which revealed similarities between Tasmanian tiger and wolf DNA regions that regulate gene expression responsible for skull formation.
The strange combination of an oversized skull, long and tall upper jaw, and mace-like widened snout sparked the researchers' curiosity and revealed the thylacine had a bite unlike any other living meat-eating mammal. Skull morphology of the extinct Tasmanian tiger suggests unique biting style', Nature Communications (2026).
In a major reinterpretation of the thylacine's biting behavior, published in Nature Communications , the research team from Flinders University and the University of Melbourne found that thylacine skulls sported a unique combination of features that did not match any known adaptations of living carnivorous mammals.
Researchers say this strange combination allowed thylacines to use high-impact snapping to catch small- to medium-sized prey such as rabbit-sized bandicoots.
What's confirmed
What's still developing
- In a major reinterpretation of the thylacine's biting behavior, published in Nature Communications , the research team from Flinders University and the University of Melbourne found that thylacine skulls sported a…
- The strange combination of an oversized skull, long and tall upper jaw, and mace-like widened snout sparked the researchers' curiosity and revealed the thylacine had a bite unlike any other living meat-eating mammal.
- Researchers say this strange combination allowed thylacines to use high-impact snapping to catch small- to medium-sized prey such as rabbit-sized bandicoots.
- The findings are an intriguing addition to a previous study by University of Melbourne School of BioSciences co-authors Professor Andrew Pask and Dr. Axel Newton, which revealed similarities between Tasmanian tiger…
- Skull morphology of the extinct Tasmanian tiger suggests unique biting style', Nature Communications (2026).
Sources
- Phys.orglink