Queensland Tiger
Encyclopedia
The Queensland tiger is a cryptid
reported to live in the Queensland
area in eastern Australia.
Also known by its native name, the yarri, it is described as being a dog-sized feline
with stripes and a long tail, prominent front teeth and a savage temperament. It has been hypothesized to be a survivor or descendant of the large predatory marsupial
Thylacoleo, officially considered to be extinct, or possibly a large feral cat
variant (given possible discrepancies with thylacoleo dentition). In 1926 A. S. le Souef
described it as being a ‘Striped marsupial cat’ in The Wild Animals of Australasia, this information later also included in Furred Mammals of Australia, by Ellis Troughton, longtime curator of mammals in the Australian Museum
. Among cryptids it has arguably come closest to official recognition.
. Though these have diminished in number since the 1950s, they continue to occur (the Beast of Buderim being one recent example of the phenomenon).
Thylacoleo, an animal of similar size and predatory habits, did live in Australia
as recently as the late Pleistocene
period, perhaps coexisting with the very first humans that arrived at Australia
who were the ancestors of modern Australian Aborigines. However, scientists estimate that Thylacoleo went extinct 30,000 years ago. Modern sightings of an animal described as remarkably like Thylacoleo have led some researchers to speculate that a small relict
population has somehow survived in remote areas. Cryptozoologists who promote the theory of survival of the Tasmanian Tiger or Thylacine
Thylacinus cynocephalus, a Thylacinid, and also currently accepted as extinct, favour proposed survival of The Queensland Tiger. The fundamental difference between the two cases, however, is that the last Tasmanian Tiger in captivity died in 1936, and the species was not officially declared as extinct until 1986. This makes the prospect of species survival of the Thylacine more likely than that of Thylacoleo.
While Cape York
artist Percy Trezise
believes the region is home to the thylacine
, others have cited the popular urban myth of American soldiers bringing pumas to Queensland during World War II
, with local Bob Whiston and tree kangaroo expert Roger Martin suggesting that sightings are of either Lumholtz's
or Bennett's
tree kangaroos, unfamiliar animals which walk on four legs when terrestrial
and are found in the areas from which reports originate (this concurs with one of Bernard Heuvelmans
' theories regarding some sightings).
's show Animal X
and on The National Geographic Channel
. Individual sightings of the Queensland marsupial tiger continue to appear in newspapers, though in far less numbers than formerly. In the 1970s, naturalist Janeice Plunkett collected over 100 reports of sightings or shootings of "tigers", including reports clearly indicating that the animal observed was a marsupial
. Some writers believe that, if the animal did formerly exist, it may now be extinct, given the diminishing numbers of tiger quoll
s and Northern quoll
s across the same region.
Cryptid
In cryptozoology and sometimes in cryptobotany, a cryptid is a creature or plant whose existence has been suggested but is unrecognized by scientific consensus and often regarded as highly unlikely. Famous examples include the Yeti in the Himalayas and the Loch Ness Monster in...
reported to live in the Queensland
Queensland
Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
area in eastern Australia.
Also known by its native name, the yarri, it is described as being a dog-sized feline
Felidae
Felidae is the biological family of the cats; a member of this family is called a felid. Felids are the strictest carnivores of the thirteen terrestrial families in the order Carnivora, although the three families of marine mammals comprising the superfamily pinnipedia are as carnivorous as the...
with stripes and a long tail, prominent front teeth and a savage temperament. It has been hypothesized to be a survivor or descendant of the large predatory marsupial
Marsupial
Marsupials are an infraclass of mammals, characterized by giving birth to relatively undeveloped young. Close to 70% of the 334 extant species occur in Australia, New Guinea, and nearby islands, with the remaining 100 found in the Americas, primarily in South America, but with thirteen in Central...
Thylacoleo, officially considered to be extinct, or possibly a large feral cat
Feral cat
A feral cat is a descendant of a domesticated cat that has returned to the wild. It is distinguished from a stray cat, which is a pet cat that has been lost or abandoned, while feral cats are born in the wild; the offspring of a stray cat can be considered feral if born in the wild.In many parts of...
variant (given possible discrepancies with thylacoleo dentition). In 1926 A. S. le Souef
Albert Sherbourne Le Souef
Albert Sherbourne Le Souef was an Australian zoologist.Le Souef was the son of Albert Alexander Cochrane Le Souef and brother of Ernest Albert Le Souef and Dudley Le Souef. He was the first director of the Taronga Zoo from 1916 to 1939...
described it as being a ‘Striped marsupial cat’ in The Wild Animals of Australasia, this information later also included in Furred Mammals of Australia, by Ellis Troughton, longtime curator of mammals in the Australian Museum
Australian Museum
The Australian Museum is the oldest museum in Australia, with an international reputation in the fields of natural history and anthropology. It features collections of vertebrate and invertebrate zoology, as well as mineralogy, palaeontology, and anthropology...
. Among cryptids it has arguably come closest to official recognition.
History
The earliest documented witness reports of the Queensland marsupial tiger date from 1871, with indigenous traditions of the yarri preceding these. Reports indicate that it is fast and agile (Welfare & Fairley, 1981). Reports have come consistently from the Northeast of QueenslandQueensland
Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
. Though these have diminished in number since the 1950s, they continue to occur (the Beast of Buderim being one recent example of the phenomenon).
Thylacoleo, an animal of similar size and predatory habits, did live in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
as recently as the late Pleistocene
Pleistocene
The Pleistocene is the epoch from 2,588,000 to 11,700 years BP that spans the world's recent period of repeated glaciations. The name pleistocene is derived from the Greek and ....
period, perhaps coexisting with the very first humans that arrived at Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
who were the ancestors of modern Australian Aborigines. However, scientists estimate that Thylacoleo went extinct 30,000 years ago. Modern sightings of an animal described as remarkably like Thylacoleo have led some researchers to speculate that a small relict
Relict
A relict is a surviving remnant of a natural phenomenon.* In biology a relict is an organism that at an earlier time was abundant in a large area but now occurs at only one or a few small areas....
population has somehow survived in remote areas. Cryptozoologists who promote the theory of survival of the Tasmanian Tiger or Thylacine
Thylacine
The thylacine or ,also ;binomial name: Thylacinus cynocephalus, Greek for "dog-headed pouched one") was the largest known carnivorous marsupial of modern times. It is commonly known as the Tasmanian tiger or the Tasmanian wolf...
Thylacinus cynocephalus, a Thylacinid, and also currently accepted as extinct, favour proposed survival of The Queensland Tiger. The fundamental difference between the two cases, however, is that the last Tasmanian Tiger in captivity died in 1936, and the species was not officially declared as extinct until 1986. This makes the prospect of species survival of the Thylacine more likely than that of Thylacoleo.
Thylacine or Thylacoleo?
In his 1965 revision of the book Furred Animals of Australia, Ellis Troughton proposed that the Queensland tiger was merely a mainland variant of the Thylacine. Similar ideas have been promoted since then, most notably by Victor Albert and Peter Chapple - these theories and variants of them have been discussed in Fortean Times, leading to some confusion. When discussing sightings of the Queensland Tiger or animals thought to be the Queensland Tiger, people sometimes refer to them as Thylacines, though there are distinct and consistent differences in the descriptions of the animals (ie: head shape, position and colour of stripes, arboreal habits).While Cape York
Cape York Peninsula
Cape York Peninsula is a large remote peninsula located in Far North Queensland at the tip of the state of Queensland, Australia, the largest unspoilt wilderness in northern Australia and one of the last remaining wilderness areas on Earth...
artist Percy Trezise
Percy Trezise
Percy Trezise AM was an Australian pilot, painter, explorer and writer as well as, notably, a discoverer, documenter and historian of Aboriginal rock art. He was born in Tallangatta, Victoria but is associated especially with Far North Queensland and the rock art galleries of the Cape York Peninsula...
believes the region is home to the thylacine
Thylacine
The thylacine or ,also ;binomial name: Thylacinus cynocephalus, Greek for "dog-headed pouched one") was the largest known carnivorous marsupial of modern times. It is commonly known as the Tasmanian tiger or the Tasmanian wolf...
, others have cited the popular urban myth of American soldiers bringing pumas to Queensland during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, with local Bob Whiston and tree kangaroo expert Roger Martin suggesting that sightings are of either Lumholtz's
Lumholtz's Tree-kangaroo
Lumholtz's Tree-kangaroo is a heavy-bodied tree-kangaroo found in rain forests of the Atherton Tableland Region of Queensland. Its status is classified as Least Concern by the IUCN, although local authorities classify it as rare...
or Bennett's
Bennett's Tree-kangaroo
Bennett's Tree-kangaroo, or Dendrolagus bennettianus, is a large tree-kangaroo. Males can weigh from 11.5 kg up to almost 14 kg , while the females range between about 8 to 10.6 kg...
tree kangaroos, unfamiliar animals which walk on four legs when terrestrial
Terrestrial animal
Terrestrial animals are animals that live predominantly or entirely on land , as compared with aquatic animals, which live predominantly or entirely in the water , or amphibians, which rely on a combination of aquatic and terrestrial habitats...
and are found in the areas from which reports originate (this concurs with one of Bernard Heuvelmans
Bernard Heuvelmans
Bernard Heuvelmans was a Belgian-French scientist, explorer, researcher, and a writer probably best known as "the father of cryptozoology"...
' theories regarding some sightings).
Queensland Tiger in the Media
The theory of continued Thylacoleo presence on mainland Australia and Thylacine presence in Tasmania has been covered on various Television shows including an episode of Animal PlanetAnimal Planet
Animal Planet is an American cable tv specialty channel that launched on October 1, 1996. It is distributed by Discovery Communications. A high-definition simulcast of the channel launched on September 1, 2007.-History:...
's show Animal X
Animal X (Show)
Animal X is an American documentary television series that aired in more than 120 countries. It began in 1997 with its first series of 13 half-hour episodes. In 2002, Discovery Channel in the U.S. co-produced the 2nd series of 13 half-hour episodes with the creators of the series, Australia's...
and on The National Geographic Channel
National Geographic Channel
National Geographic Channel, also commercially abbreviated and trademarked as Nat Geo, is a subscription television channel that airs non-fiction television programs produced by the National Geographic Society. Like History and the Discovery Channel, the channel features documentaries with factual...
. Individual sightings of the Queensland marsupial tiger continue to appear in newspapers, though in far less numbers than formerly. In the 1970s, naturalist Janeice Plunkett collected over 100 reports of sightings or shootings of "tigers", including reports clearly indicating that the animal observed was a marsupial
Marsupial
Marsupials are an infraclass of mammals, characterized by giving birth to relatively undeveloped young. Close to 70% of the 334 extant species occur in Australia, New Guinea, and nearby islands, with the remaining 100 found in the Americas, primarily in South America, but with thirteen in Central...
. Some writers believe that, if the animal did formerly exist, it may now be extinct, given the diminishing numbers of tiger quoll
Tiger Quoll
The tiger quoll , also known as the spotted-tail quoll, the spotted quoll, the spotted-tailed dasyure or the tiger cat, is a carnivorous marsupial of the quoll genus Dasyurus native to Australia...
s and Northern quoll
Northern Quoll
The Northern Quoll , also known as the Northern Native Cat, the Satanellus, the North Australian Native Cat or the Njanmak , is a carnivorous marsupial mammal, native to Australia.- Taxonomy :The Northern Quoll is a member of the family Dasyuridae, and is often stated to be the most distinctive...
s across the same region.