Thylacine

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The History, Ecology and Loss of the Tasmanian Tiger

Edited by: Branden Holmes, Gareth Linnard

eBook - March 2023 - eRetailers

Profiles the iconic thylacine, its ecology, evolution, encounters with humans, and extinction.

Until the mid-20th century, the thylacine was the world’s largest carnivorous marsupial, and its disappearance has left many questions and contradictions. + Full description

Alternately portrayed as a scourge and as a high value commodity, the thylacine’s ecology and behaviour were known only anecdotally. In recent years, its taxonomic position, ecology, behaviour and body size have all been re-examined scientifically, while advances in genetics have presented the potential for de-extinction.

With 78 contributors, Thylacine: The History, Ecology and Loss of the Tasmanian Tiger presents an evidence-based profile of the thylacine, examining its ecology, evolution, encounters with humans, persecution, assumed extinction and its appearance in fiction. The final chapters explore the future for this iconic species – a symbol of extinction but also hope.

Certificate of Commendation, The Royal Zoological Society of NSW 2023 Whitley Awards: Historical Zoology

- Short description

Reviews

"A newly published book has provided fresh perspectives on the thylacine, delving into everything from de-extinction efforts to the role of the internet in boosting the cultural profile of the extinct species. Thylacine: The History, Ecology and Loss of the Tasmanian Tiger, published by CSIRO, features the work of 78 contributors and is purported to be the first major summary of the available evidence relating to the carnivorous marsupial in 20 years."
Rob Inglis, Herald Sun, 13 March 2023

"This is a most creditable attempt to gather all possible information about the thylacine."
Malcom Ward, Papers and Proceedings of the THRA 70(1)

Details

Paperback | March 2023 | $ 59.99
ISBN: 9781486315536 | 240 pages | 245 x 170 mm
Publisher: CSIRO Publishing
B&W photographs, Colour illustrations, Colour photographs, Illustrations

ePDF | March 2023
ISBN: 9781486315543
Publisher: CSIRO Publishing
Available from eRetailers

ePUB | March 2023
ISBN: 9781486315550
Publisher: CSIRO Publishing
Available from eRetailers

Features

Includes a diverse range of author contributions.
Covers the thylacine from evolution to extinction to fiction.
Presents the best evidence to date for the species’ post-1936 survival.

Foreword
Cultural sensitivity warning
Dedication
Acknowledgements
Preface
Prologue
Introduction: The thylacine in Australian ecosystems
List of contributors

Part 1: Anatomy, biology and ecology
Part 2: Evolution, palaeontology and taxonomy
Part 3: Aboriginal knowledge and archaeology
Part 4: Early European encounters (1792–1829)
Part 5: The bounty years (1830–1914)
Part 6: A rapidly disappearing species (1915–1936)
Colour plates
Part 7: Into the shadows (1937–present)
Part 8: Beyond the present
Part 9: Beyond reality

References
Index

View the full table of contents (PDF, 110 KB).

Authors

Branden Holmes is a thylacine researcher who studies the earliest period of European–thylacine interactions and the resulting misperceptions. He jointly re-discovered the last known moving images of the species.

Gareth Linnard is a researcher who primarily specialises in the historical trade in thylacines during the 1920s and 1930s. Based in South Wales, UK, he co-authored a revision of the identity of the last captive thylacine.

Contributors:
Daisy Ahlstone, Ken W. S. Ashwell, Christopher Atkinson, Marie R. G. Attard, Jeremy J. Austin, Col Bailey, Guy-Anthony Ballard, Peter B. Banks, Robin Beck, Katherine Belov, Gregory S. Berns, Anthony Black, Corey J. A. Bradshaw, Kaye Brown, Andrew A. Burbidge, Aaron Camens, Cameron R. Campbell, Erica A. Cartmill, Matt Cartmill, John Doyle, Nicole Dyble, Russell K. Engelman, Charles Y. Feigin, Borja Figueirido, Peter John Sabine Fleming, Richard Freeman, Katie Glaskin, Daniel Gonzalez-Socoloske, Tammy Gordon, Catherine Grueber, Tony Harper, Adam Hartstone-Rose, Nic Haygarth, Mieke van der Heyde, Dieter F. Hochuli, Carolyn Hogg, Branden Holmes, Christine M. Janis, Menna E. Jones, Shimona Kealy, Jamie B. Kirkpatrick, Tessa Knights, Mackenzie Kwak, Rebecca Lang, Michelle C. Langley, Chris Lee, Gareth Linnard, Kathryn Medlock, Paul Meek, Brandon R. Menzies, Carly Monks, Nick Mooney, Mary-Jane Mountain, Ken Mulvaney, Axel Newton, Winston Nickols, Julie M. Old, Andrew Pask, Emma Peel, Cassia Piper, Douglass S. Rovinsky, Frédérik Saltré, Mikael Siversson, Stephen R. Sleightholme, Steffen Springer, Chris Tangey, Kailah M. Thorn, Kenny J. Travouillon, Karl Vernes, Peter Veth, Michelle Vickers, Liana F. Wait, Natalie M. Warburton, Lauren C. White, Mike Williams, Greg Woods, Stephen Wroe, Michael Zieger.