Tasmanian tiger: Remains of last thylacine found in cupboard after 85 years - BBC

The remains of the past known Tasmanian tiger - thought mislaid for 85 years - person been recovered stashed successful the cupboard of an Australian museum.

The thylacine died successful captivity astatine Hobart Zoo successful 1936 and its assemblage was fixed to a section museum.

But what happened to its skeleton and tegument afterwards had been an enduring mystery.

The Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery mislaid way of the remains, and they were believed to person been thrown out.

New probe has discovered they were astatine the depository each on - preserved but not decently catalogued.

"For years, galore depository curators and researchers searched for its remains without success, arsenic nary thylacine worldly dating from 1936 had been recorded," said Robert Paddle, who published a publication successful 2000 connected the extinction of the species.

"It was assumed its assemblage had been discarded."

But helium and 1 of the museum's curators recovered an unpublished taxidermist's report, prompting a reappraisal of the museum's collections.

They recovered the missing pistillate specimen successful a cupboard successful the museum's acquisition department.

It had been taken astir Australia arsenic a travelling grounds but unit were unaware it was the past thylacine, curator Kathryn Medlock told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.

"It was chosen due to the fact that it was the champion tegument successful the collection," she said.

"At that clip they thought determination were inactive animals retired successful the bush."

The tegument and skeleton are present connected show astatine the depository successful Hobart.

Originally believed to person roamed crossed Australia, Tasmanian tiger populations declined due to the fact that of impacts from humans and dingoes.

Eventually the marsupial was lone recovered connected the land of Tasmania, wherever it was yet hunted to extinction.