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If they still existed we would find evidence in the form of carcasses, bones, poo or kills. I would love it if they did still exist though.
by ObjectData 7y ago
If they still existed we would find evidence in the form of carcasses, bones, poo or kills.
I would love it if they did still exist though.
- EdwardDiego 7y agoWouldn't be sure about the carcasses, bones, and kills, not when they share(d) an island with another carnivore that is a very effective and enthusiastic scavenger: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tasmanian_devil https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tasmanian_devil > Tasmanian devils can eliminate all traces of a carcass of a smaller animal, devouring the bones and fur if desired. The poo one is interesting - no matter how hard I google, I can't find an image of thylacine shit, so not sure how you'd differentiate it from other animals' scat.
- ObjectData 7y agoWe would have to assume that every single carcass, including all the bones was completely removed by the devils for that to be true. No roadkills being found etc. And there are a lot of roadkills in Australia. Poo is used to identify species via DNA analysis: https://www.jstor.org/stable/3783732?seq=1#page_scan_tab_contents https://www.jstor.org/stable/3783732?seq=1#page_scan_tab_con... https://academic.oup.com/jhered/article/96/6/688/2187659 https://academic.oup.com/jhered/article/96/6/688/2187659
- dsfyu404ed 7y agoA skittish nocturnal animal is unlikely to get roadkilled. Only the carcasses we'd find need to get removed promptly by scavengers. That said, I think it's more likely extinct than not.
- teshier-A 7y ago>Localised populations of devils have also been severely reduced by collisions with motor vehicles, particularly when they are eating roadkill. >They are also found near roads where roadkill is prevalent, although the devils themselves are often killed by vehicles while retrieving the carrion. From the Tasmanian Devil wiki page.