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The Magnificent Thylacine Trivia Quiz

This quiz is about one of Tasmania's most unique animals, the thylacine.

A multiple-choice quiz by ElusiveDream. Estimated time: 3 mins.

Author
ElusiveDream

Time
3 mins

Type
Multiple Choice

Quiz #
359,387

Updated
Mar 23 22

# Qns
10

Difficulty
Average

Avg Score
7 / 10

Plays
363

One at a Time - Single Page - Timed Game

Question 1 of 10

1. Which of the following animals is most closely related to the thylacine? Hint

dingo

numbat

platypus

emu

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Question 2 of 10

2. Why are thylacines sometimes called Tasmanian tigers? Hint

They are related to tigers

No one knows

They live in the same country

They have striped fur

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Question 3 of 10

3. In the early 1900s, the Tasmanian government paid a one pound bounty for each dead adult thylacine.

True

False

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Question 4 of 10

4. Around 3000 years ago, thylacines became extinct on the Australian mainland. Which of the following things is thought to have been a contributing factor to the extinction? Hint

Disease

Wildfires

No-one knows

Dingoes

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Question 5 of 10

5. A newspaper article, published in 1968, claimed that the last captive thylacine had been given a nickname. What was it? Hint

Dori

Benjamin

Chanda

Abbey

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Question 6 of 10

6. Do thylacines exist in the fossil record?

Yes

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Question 7 of 10

7. What sort of diet did a thylacine live on? Hint

carnivorous

omnivorous

herbivorous

piscivorous

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Question 8 of 10

8. Both male and female thylacines had pouches on their stomachs.

True

False

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Question 9 of 10

9. What colour was the thylacine's fur? Hint

red

yellowish-brown

grey

white

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Question 10 of 10

10. How long did it take for thylacines to be officially declared completely extinct? Hint

forty years

twenty years

thirty years

fifty years

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Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. Which of the following animals is most closely related to the thylacine?

Answer: numbat

Numbats and thylacines are both marsupials. This group also includes kangaroos and koalas. A marsupial is an animal that carries its young in a pouch.

Dingoes are placental mammals. A placental mammal is one that gives birth to fully-developed live young. Humans are also placental mammals.

The emu is the world's second-largest bird. It can't fly but can run at speeds of up to fifty kilometres an hour.

The platypus is a monotreme, a mammal that lays eggs. The only other monotreme is the Echidna.

2. Why are thylacines sometimes called Tasmanian tigers?

Answer: They have striped fur

Thylacines are in no way related to tigers, and they looked more like dogs. They did, however, have striped fur, which gave them their nickname.

3. In the early 1900s, the Tasmanian government paid a one pound bounty for each dead adult thylacine.

Answer: True

The bounty was one pound for adult thylacines and ten shillings for the pups. This unfortunately led to a lot of thylacines being killed just so people could claim the money that the government was offering.

4. Around 3000 years ago, thylacines became extinct on the Australian mainland. Which of the following things is thought to have been a contributing factor to the extinction?

Answer: Dingoes

It's been suggested that the arrival of dingoes was a contributing factor in the extinction of the thylacine, the Tasmanian devil and the Tasmanian native hen on mainland Australia.

5. A newspaper article, published in 1968, claimed that the last captive thylacine had been given a nickname. What was it?

Answer: Benjamin

There's no actual documentation to support this claim. In fact, we don't even know if this thylacine was male or female. What we do know is that "Benjamin" died on September 7th, 1936, after being locked out of his/her sheltered sleeping area during a thunder storm.

6. Do thylacines exist in the fossil record?

Answer: Yes

There are seven known prehistoric species of thylacine. The oldest dates back to around twenty-three million years ago.

7. What sort of diet did a thylacine live on?

Answer: carnivorous

Thylacines fed on various animals including birds, possums, kangaroos, wallabies and wombats.

8. Both male and female thylacines had pouches on their stomachs.

Answer: True

With most marsupials, it's only the female that has a pouch. The pouch is used as a place of refuge for the young until they are old enough to be able to survive in the outside world.

However, in the case of thylacines, the male also had a pouch, used to protect his external reproductive organs.

9. What colour was the thylacine's fur?

Answer: yellowish-brown

Thylacine fur was a mixture of yellow and brown with up to twenty distinct black stripes.

10. How long did it take for thylacines to be officially declared completely extinct?

Answer: fifty years

The last thylacine died in 1936 but it wasn't until 1986 that thylacines were officially declared completely extinct.

Source: Author ElusiveDream

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor Tizzabelle before going online.
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