Tasmanian Pouched Wolf

(Thylacinus cynocephalus), a mammal of the family Dasyuridae. The body measures 100–130 cm in length, and the tail 50–65 cm. The back is gray-brown with 13–19 black transverse bands; the underparts are lighter. The pouch opens to the rear. The Tasmanian pouched wolf was distributed throughout Australia; now it is found only in Tasmania. The animal is nocturnal. It inhabits forests and uses rocky lairs as shelter. It feeds on medium-sized and large terrestrial vertebrates. There are two to four young in a litter. The Tasmanian pouched wolf is extremely rare and close to total extinction, if not already extinct.