Thylacine (Thylacinus cynocephalus), illustration. Also called the thylacine, this species of marsupial is considered extinct. The last confirmed sighting in the wild was in Tasmania in 1933, and the last captive animal died in 1936. None have been found since, despite extensive searches. Unrelated to the dog or wolf, the thylacine was about the size of a small wolf, making it the largest marsupial carnivore in recent times. The short, coarse hair was brown with black stripes across the back. Fossils of the species have been found in New Guinea, Australia and Tasmania. It evolved in the Early Pliocene, around 5 million years ago.