Thylacine
/ˈθaɪləsiːn/noun
An extinct carnivorous marsupial of Tasmania, also known as the Tasmanian tiger.
Did you know?Although often called the Tasmanian tiger, the thylacine was a marsupial, and its scientific name reflects its abdominal pouch rather than its stripes or predatory behavior.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Greek
Greek
θύλακος (thýlakos)
“Pouch, bag, or sac”
1808
Latin
Didelphis cynocephala
“The first scientific name assigned to the animal, meaning roughly “two-wombed dog-headed [animal]””
1824
New Latin
Thylacinus
“A taxonomic genus name formed from Greek thýlakos, “pouch,” with a Latinizing suffix”
1830s
English
thylacine
“The English common name derived from the genus Thylacinus”
Modern English
English
thylacine
“The extinct Tasmanian marsupial popularly called the Tasmanian tiger”
Explore more surprising origins