Reconstruction of the predatory behaviour of the extinct marsupial thylacine (Thylacinus cynocephalus)

Jones, Menna Lloyd; Stoddart, D. Michael

doi:10.1017/s0952836998010127

Cited by 34 publications

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“…Here we further expand that 3D cranial dataset 6 by an additional 35 species, including members of Canis and Vulpes (the eutherian genera to which the thylacine is most commonly compared [46][47][48][49][50][51][52][53] ), dasyuromorphs and New World didelphids, 8 families of Diprotodontia (the clade containing carnivorous thylacoleonids but also kangaroos, wallabies, koalas, possums, gliders, and wombats), and other insectivorous australidelphids from the orders Microbiotheria, Notoryctemorphia and Peramelemorphia. The majority of newly added taxa are relatively small (0.1-5 kg body mass), representing the noncarnivorous marsupials to which the thylacine is most closely related (such as the southern marsupial mole Notoryctes typhlops and the eastern barred bandicoot Perameles gunnii).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Species scores from the first 31 PC axes, accounting for 99% of the total morphological variation, were used as phenotypic variables. C 1 -C 3 were estimated for all pairwise comparisons between the thylacine and species of Canis and Vulpes, the two eutherian lineages which the thylacine most superficially resembles 46,47,50,51 . We also estimated convergence values between the thylacine and its closest carnivorous marsupial relatives, the extinct Nimbacinus dicksoni and Barinya wangala, as well as with the closely related insectivorous taxon, Myrmecobius fasciatus (Fig.…”

Section: Nature Ecology and Evolutionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Genome of the Tasmanian tiger provides insights into the evolution and demography of an extinct marsupial carnivore

et al. 2017

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The Tasmanian tiger or thylacine (Thylacinus cynocephalus) was the largest carnivorous Australian marsupial to survive into the modern era. Despite last sharing a common ancestor with the eutherian canids ~160 million years ago, their phenotypic resemblance is considered the most striking example of convergent evolution in mammals. The last known thylacine died in captivity in 1936 and many aspects of the evolutionary history of this unique marsupial apex predator remain unknown. Here we have sequenced the genome of a preserved thylacine pouch young specimen to clarify the phylogenetic position of the thylacine within the carnivorous marsupials, reconstruct its historical demography and examine the genetic basis of its convergence with canids. Retroposon insertion patterns placed the thylacine as the basal lineage in Dasyuromorphia and suggest incomplete lineage sorting in early dasyuromorphs. Demographic analysis indicated a long-term decline in genetic diversity starting well before the arrival of humans in Australia. In spite of their extraordinary phenotypic convergence, comparative genomic analyses demonstrated that amino acid homoplasies between the thylacine and canids are largely consistent with neutral evolution. Furthermore, the genes and pathways targeted by positive selection differ markedly between these species. Together, these findings support models of adaptive convergence driven primarily by cis-regulatory evolution.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Nature Ecology and Evolutionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Genome of the Tasmanian tiger provides insights into the evolution and demography of an extinct marsupial carnivore

et al. 2017

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“…Anecdotal evidence suggests that thylacines killed their prey by crippling it with an initial bite and then ripping open the abdominal cavity and eating the wounded animal alive (Jones, 1995). This hunting style is partially reminiscent of both living felids and macropredatory dog-like predators, which may reflect the mix of dog-like and catlike traits in thylacines (Jones and Stoddart, 1998;Figueirido and Janis, 2011). However, sparassodonts differ from T. cynocephalus in their larger and more frequently damaged canines (Table 3; Jones and Stoddart, 1998), implying that there may still have been differences in the behavior of these two groups of predatory mammals.…”

Section: Sparassodont Canine Morphologymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Similar hunting behaviors have also been reported in some predatory marsupials. The spotted-tailed quoll (Dasyurus maculatus), which has the least mediolaterally compressed canines of any living large-bodied dasyurid (aside from the highly specialized Tasmanian devil, Sarcophilus harrisii), has also been observed to kill prey with a precise neck bite and is known to take large prey relative to its body size (Jones, 1995;Jones and Stoddart, 1998). Based on the similarities between these carnivorous mammals and UF 27881, it seems plausible that this marsupial killed prey in a similar method to the living Dasyurus maculatus and Martes spp.…”

Section: Paleobiology Of Uf 27881mentioning

confidence: 99%

A new species of small-bodied sparassodont (Mammalia, Metatheria) from the middle Miocene locality of Quebrada Honda, Bolivia

Engelman

Croft

2014

Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology

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ABSTRACT-The Sparassodonta (Mammalia, Metatheria) are a group of carnivorous mammals that dominated the macropredatory guild of South America during the Cenozoic. Here, we describe a new sparassodont based on a single specimen from the middle Miocene Quebrada Honda local fauna of southern Bolivia. This specimen (UF 27881) does not clearly correspond to any major sparassodont group (e.g., Hathliacynidae, Borhyaenidae, etc.) and represents a morphotype previously unknown among the Sparassodonta. UF 27881 is distinguished from other sparassodonts by its short, broad, borhyaenid-like rostrum and small size, among other features. However, we decline to coin a new name for UF 27881 due to the fragmentary nature of this specimen and the absence of most of its dentition. This specimen suggests that the appearance of the Sparassocynidae and several hypercarnivorous didelphid taxa (including Thylophorops, Thylatheridium, Lutreolina, and Hyperdidelphys) represent an evolutionary response to the decline in small, predatory sparassodont taxa during the late Cenozoic. This study documents new morphological diversity among the Sparassodonta and highlights the value of fossils from traditionally undersampled parts of South America.

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“…However, the former role of the thylacine is less clear as the species was extirpated before its ecology was studied. Jones & Stoddart (1998) concluded that the thylacine was most likely a predator of medium-sized vertebrates. However, Johnson & Wroe (2003) argue that the greater body size and wider gape of the thylacine relative to the dingo identify the species as a hunter of large prey.…”

Section: ( 2) Interactions Among Native Carnivoresmentioning

confidence: 99%

Complex interactions among mammalian carnivores in Australia, and their implications for wildlife management

2005

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Mammalian carnivore populations are often intensively managed, either because the carnivore in question is endangered, or because it is viewed as a pest and is subjected to control measures, or both. Most management programmes treat carnivore species in isolation. However, there is a large and emerging body of evidence to demonstrate that populations of different carnivores interact with each other in a variety of complex ways. Thus, the removal or introduction of predators to or from a system can often affect other species in ways that are difficult to predict. Wildlife managers must consider such interactions when planning predator control programmes. Integrated predator control will require a greater understanding of the complex relationships between species.In many parts of the world, sympatric species of carnivores have coexisted over an evolutionary time scale so that niche differentiation has occurred, and competition is difficult to observe. Australia has experienced numerous introductions during the past 200 years, including those of the red fox (Vulpes vulpes) and the feral cat (Felis catus). These species now exist in sympatry with native mammalian predators, providing ecologists with the opportunity to study their interactions without the confounding effects of coevolution.Despite an increasing body of observational evidence for complex interactions among native and introduced predators in Australia, few studies have attempted to clarify these relationships experimentally, and the interactions remain largely unacknowledged. A greater understanding of these interactions would provide ecologists and wildlife managers world-wide with the ability to construct robust predictive models of carnivore communities, and to identify their broader effects on ecosystem functioning. We suggest that future research should focus on controlled and replicated predator removal or addition experiments. The dingo (Canis lupus dingo), as a likely keystone species, should be a particular focus of attention.

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Reconstruction of the predatory behaviour of the extinct marsupial thylacine (Thylacinus cynocephalus)

Cited by 34 publications

References 0 publications

Genome of the Tasmanian tiger provides insights into the evolution and demography of an extinct marsupial carnivore

Genome of the Tasmanian tiger provides insights into the evolution and demography of an extinct marsupial carnivore

A new species of small-bodied sparassodont (Mammalia, Metatheria) from the middle Miocene locality of Quebrada Honda, Bolivia

Complex interactions among mammalian carnivores in Australia, and their implications for wildlife management

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