The tragedy of the Tasmanian Tiger
Why the future of biodiversity is in our hands
Biodiversity is in crisis. One million species are currently threatened with extinction, and many could disappear within decades.
The threats they face from human activity are many and varied, and include the destruction of habitats, over-exploitation, illegal trade, pollution, the introduction of invasive species, and climate change.
The Tasmanian Tiger, or thylacine, is just one example of a species that has gone extinct due to human activity.
The thylacine was a wolf-like marsupial carnivore. It was once widespread across Australia and New Guinea, but during the Pleistocene, around 2.6 million to 11,700 years ago, its population became restricted to the island of Tasmania, south of mainland Australia. The thylacine persisted there for over 3,000 years until the arrival of colonists from Britain.
Nineteenth-century colonists destroyed thousands of thylacines, blaming them for killing livestock, and subjecting them to habitat losses and new diseases. Thylacine hunting was even incentivised by the government; between 1888 and 1909 over 2,000 bounties were awarded for thylacine kills.
Scientists began to call for the protection of thylacines in 1901, but political delays meant this did not come into force until 1936, just 59 days before the last animal died in captivity.
Museum specimens remain a sobering reminder of the colonially-mandated campaign against thylacines that brought about their untimely extinction. How can we use these specimens to further our understanding of the species?
In 2013, researchers at the University of New South Wales used CT scanning to create 3D models of thylacine skulls, which allowed them to reconstruct biting and chewing behaviours. The results of the study suggested that thylacines would have typically fed on smaller prey species like possums. Thylacines may have only been able to tackle larger prey, like kangaroos, if group-hunting – a scenario that would have become increasingly rare as their numbers declined.
These findings enhance our understanding of a species that was wiped out before we had the opportunity to record its wild behaviour, and contribute to our understanding of the thylacine's demise.
A pair of thylacines that were on display at the National Zoo in Washington DC in 1903. Source: Smithsonian Institution via Wikimedia Commons.
A pair of thylacines that were on display at the National Zoo in Washington DC in 1903. Source: Smithsonian Institution via Wikimedia Commons.
Thylacine skull, Oxford University Museum of Natural History
Thylacine skull, Oxford University Museum of Natural History
How are humans continuing to contribute to extinction?
Today, the status of many species is graded on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List, helping us to understand the risk of extinction.
The data show that the current rate of species extinction is tens to hundreds of times higher than the average over the past ten million years, and is increasing. We are creating the conditions for what could become Earth’s next mass extinction.
Western European Hedgehog
Erinaceus europaeus
IUCN Red List: Least Concern
The UK has lost around half of its biodiversity since the Industrial Revolution to become one of the most nature-depleted countries in the world. A main cause is habitat loss, with over two-thirds of land used for agriculture, industry, roads and buildings. Hedgehogs may be a casualty. Although the hedgehog population appears stable on mainland Europe, they are declining steeply in the UK for reasons that are not yet clear.
Intermediate Valley Coral
Oulophyllia crispa
IUCN Red List: Near Threatened
Coral reefs are biodiversity hotspots. Found in less than 1 per cent of the oceans, they are home to more than a quarter of all marine species. Over half a billion people depend on them for food, storm protection and jobs, yet the reefs are under severe threat from increasing water temperatures, pollution and sea level rise. A third of all reef-building corals are now threatened with extinction.
By Júlio Reis - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=11347259
By Júlio Reis - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=11347259
Bull Shark
Carcharhinus leucas
IUCN Red list: Vulnerable
Since 1970, populations of oceanic sharks, skates and rays have declined by over 70 per cent. Almost four in ten species are threatened with extinction. Major threats include fishing for meat and fins, pollution, and global warming. Many sharks are top predators that play key roles in ecosystems, so their loss would have a major impact on marine food chains.
Freshwater Pearl Mussel
Margaritifera margaritifera
IUCN Red List: Endangered
The UK’s ancient rivers were once home to large numbers of Freshwater Pearl Mussels, which occasionally produce pearls. Today, numbers are decreasing across their entire range in Europe and North America, impacted by pollution from chemicals and sewage. Despite being legally protected, they are also at risk from illegal pearl fishing at locations across the UK.
Tom Meijer, CC BY-SA 3.0 <http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/>, via Wikimedia Commons
Tom Meijer, CC BY-SA 3.0 <http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/>, via Wikimedia Commons
Hawksbill Turtle
Eretmochelys imbricata
Shell
IUCN Red List: Critically Endangered
Plastic was only invented around 100 years ago, but it is now almost everywhere, polluting land, rivers and seas. Over 8 million tons ends up in the ocean every year. Wildlife such as turtles, seabirds, dolphins and fish die when they become entangled in plastic waste. Many die of starvation as they mistake it for food, filling their stomachs with material they cannot digest.
By B.navez - Self-photographed, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=1178506
By B.navez - Self-photographed, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=1178506
Dodo
Raphus cucullatus
Model
IUCN Red List: Extinct
The Dodo may be the most famous of all human-caused extinctions. This museum has the only soft tissue remains of a Dodo left in the world. The Dodo was a flightless bird, first encountered by European sailors in the late 16th century on the island of Mauritius in the Indian Ocean. Its rapid decline was caused mainly by the dogs, cats, rats and pigs that the sailors had brought with them, which destroyed Dodo habitats and ate the birds’ eggs. The last confirmed sighting was in 1662, and by the 1700s it was considered extinct.
On purpose and by accident, people have spread thousands of species of plants and animals across the globe, posing a major threat to biodiversity.
About the Future in our Hands display
All the species mentioned in this article feature in the Future in our hands display, which explores the current threats to biodiversity. Each specimen in the display is held by cast hands from a range of individuals who were invited to participate in creating the display.
The participants include scientists, conservationists, science communicators, artists and a young child, all with a connection to conservation or the natural world. Together, they represent how each of us may have a hand in protecting future biodiversity.
Find out more about how the display was made in the video below.
"If we don’t include everyone in this biodiversity issue, then we just continue asking the same questions and answering the questions in the same way.
One thing I would change is that I would try to make different career paths more accessible to people from underrepresented backgrounds so that way everyone can provide their input and ask different questions in different ways, so that way we can be more creative in terms of helping biodiversity."
Dr Tanesha Allen
A round of applause for our hand cast participants:
Dr Tanesha Allen
An American zoologist living in England who is passionate about getting students from underrepresented and marginalized backgrounds interested in zoology and making STEM and higher education accessible and inclusive for everyone.
Dr Sarah A. Bell
An anthro-zoologist and conservationist who is fascinated with better understanding the relationship between humans and wildlife, especially within the context of global health.
Hazel Carr
Six years old at the time her hand was cast for this display, Hazel enjoys helping her father on their family-run organic farm in Oxfordshire.
Katie Lois Hutchinson
A DPhil zoology student at the University of Oxford, Hutchinson’s current research focus explores the ecosystem health outcomes of Nature-based Solutions and she is passionate about the importance of maintaining high levels of biodiversity in relation to climate change.
Kurt Jackson
A contemporary artist and dedicated environmentalist who is known for his plein-air painting sessions, which is the practice of painting a finished art-work outdoors, with the subject in full view.
Prof Yadvinder Malhi CBE FRS
The Professor of Ecosystem Science at the Environmental Change Institute, School of Geography and the Environment, Professor Malhi has advanced our understanding of the functioning of terrestrial ecosystems and how they are responding to the pressure of climate change.
Julia Migné
A passionate science communicator, Julia Migne previously worked with Conservation Optimism, an organization focused on sharing hope and building capacity and community for people to make a positive difference for nature, and now works at BirdLife International.
Dr Hazell Shokellu Thompson
A conservation biologist and lecturer in Zoology at the University of Sierra Leone, Dr Thompson also conducted the first comprehensive study of the rare white-necked picathartes in West Africa.
Ivan Wright
The co-founder of Shotover Wildlife, a voluntary organisation founded to research and communicate the importance of Shotover Hill, Oxford for wildlife, Wright is also a long-time entomology volunteer at the Museum.
Maria Youssef-Lindo
Participant of the Natural Science and Heritage Scheme - a paid opportunity that enables young people in Oxford from disadvantaged backgrounds to get to know the museum and get involved with the activities we run for local families.
"Conserving the environment is everything. We all depend on the environment.
We all depend on the natural world, even though it may not seem that way but the environment is us, and we are the environment - people often think of the environment as something apart from human beings, but we’re part of the environment."
Dr Hazell Shokellu Thompson
Built with Shorthand
