National Threatened Species Day in Australia Date in the current year: September 7, 2024

The Tasmanian wolf (also known as the Tasmanian tiger, and thylacine) was the last member of the family Thylacinidae. The other members of the extincted family were found in the fossil records dating back to the early Miocene.

The Tasmanian wolf was an endemic species, like the Tasmanian devil, and it was seen only on the Australian mainland and Tasmania. After the beginning of mass British settlement of the continent the thylacine was intensively hunted. This became the main reason why this species extincted, but at the same the other contributing factors may have been the disease, human encroachment into its habitat and introduction of dogs.

By the 1860 the quantity of the Tasmanian wolfs was significantly cut down, but when it approached the critical number, the thylacines were not included into the list of endangered species. The last wild Tasmanian wolf was killed on May 13, 1930. And the last thylacine, kept in the zoo, died on September 7, 1936.

Australia boasts biological endemic diversity, but human encroachment resulted in cutting down its number. Many of the species are today endangered. National Threatened Species Day is observed to remember the importance of keeping all the endangered species from extinction.