The extinct thylacine, also known as the Tasmanian tiger, was a marsupial* that bore a superficial resemblance to a dog. Its most distinguishing feature was the 13–19 dark brown stripes over its back, beginning at the rear of the body and extending onto the tail. The thylacine's average noseto- tail length for adult males was 162.6 cm, compared to 153.7 cm for females. 

已灭绝的袋狼又称塔斯马尼亚虎，是一种有袋动物*，表面上与狗十分相似。它最显著的特征是背部有 13-19 条深褐色条纹，从身体后部开始，一直延伸到尾巴。成年雄性袋狼的平均尾长为 162.6 厘米，雌性为 153.7 厘米。

The thylacine appeared to occupy most types of terrain except dense rainforest, with open eucalyptus forest thought to be its prime habitat. In terms of feeding, it was exclusively carnivorous, and its stomach was muscular with an ability to distend so that it could eat large amounts of food at one time, probably an adaptation to compensate for long periods when hunting was unsuccessful and food scarce. The thylacine was not a fast runner and probably caught its prey by exhausting it during a long pursuit. During long-distance chases, thylacines were likely to have relied more on scent than any other sense. They emerged to hunt during the evening, night and early morning and tended to retreat to the hills and forest for shelter during the day. Despite the common name 'tiger', the thylacine had a shy, nervous temperament. Although mainly nocturnal, it was sighted moving during the day and some individuals were even recorded basking in the sun. 

除了茂密的热带雨林外，泰拉林似乎能占据大多数地形，开阔的桉树林被认为是它的主要栖息地。在进食方面，泰拉松完全是肉食性的，它的胃部肌肉发达，能够膨胀，因此可以一次性吃下大量食物，这可能是为了弥补长时间捕猎不成功和食物匮乏的情况。袋狼的奔跑速度并不快，很可能是在长时间的追逐中耗尽体力才捕捉到猎物。在长途追逐中，袋狼可能更依赖于气味，而不是其他感官。它们在傍晚、夜晚和清晨出现捕猎，白天往往退到山丘和森林中躲避。尽管有 “老虎 ”的俗名，但泰拉松的性情却害羞而紧张。虽然主要在夜间活动，但白天也能看到它们活动，有些个体甚至被记录到在阳光下晒太阳。

The thylacine had an extended breeding season from winter to spring, with indications that some breeding took place throughout the year. The thylacine, like all marsupials, was tiny and hairless when born. Newborns crawled into the pouch on the belly of their mother, and attached themselves to one of the four teats, remaining there for up to three months. When old enough to leave the pouch, the young stayed in a lair such as a deep rocky cave, well-hidden nest or hollow log, whilst the mother hunted. 

袋狼的繁殖期从冬季延长到春季，有迹象表明，有些繁殖活动全年都在进行。袋狼和所有有袋类动物一样，刚出生时很小，身上没有毛。新生儿爬进母亲腹部的袋中，附着在四个乳头中的一个上，并在那里停留长达三个月。到了可以离开小袋的年龄，幼鸟就会呆在巢穴里，比如深石洞、隐蔽的巢穴或空心圆木，而母亲则在一旁狩猎。

Approximately 4,000 years ago, the thylacine was widespread throughout New Guinea and most of mainland Australia, as well as the island of Tasmania. The most recent, well-dated occurrence of a thylacine on the mainland is a carbon-dated fossil from Murray Cave in Western Australia, which is around 3,100 years old. Its extinction coincided closely with the arrival of wild dogs called dingoes in Australia and a similar predator in New Guinea. Dingoes never reached Tasmania, and most scientists see this as the main reason for the thylacine's survival there. 

大约 4000 年前，袋狼广泛分布于新几内亚、澳大利亚大陆大部分地区以及塔斯马尼亚岛。最近在澳大利亚大陆上发现的有明确年代的袋狼化石来自西澳大利亚的默里洞穴，距今约 3100 年。泰拉凯恩灭绝的时间与被称为 “恐狼 ”的野狗进入澳大利亚以及新几内亚出现类似掠食者的时间非常吻合。野狗从未到达过塔斯马尼亚，大多数科学家认为这是泰加犬在塔斯马尼亚生存的主要原因。

The dramatic decline of the thylacine in Tasmania, which began in the 1830s and continued for a century, is generally attributed to the relentless efforts of sheep farmers and bounty hunters** with shotguns. While this determined campaign undoubtedly played a large part, it is likely that various other factors also contributed to the decline and eventual extinction of the species. These include competition with wild dogs introduced by European settlers, loss of habitat along with the disappearance of prey species, and a distemper-like disease which may also have affected the thylacine. 

塔斯马尼亚的袋狼从 19 世纪 30 年代开始急剧减少，并持续了一个世纪，这通常要归咎于牧羊人和赏金猎人**使用猎枪的不懈努力。虽然这种坚决的行动无疑起到了很大作用，但其他各种因素也可能导致该物种的减少和最终灭绝。这些因素包括与欧洲定居者引进的野狗的竞争、栖息地的丧失以及猎物物种的消失，还有一种类似犬瘟热的疾病也可能影响了泰拉犬。

There was only one successful attempt to breed a thylacine in captivity, at Melbourne Zoo in 1899. This was despite the large numbers that went through some zoos, particularly London Zoo and Tasmania's Hobart Zoo. The famous naturalist John Gould foresaw the thylacine's demise when he published his Mammals of Australia between 1848 and 1863, writing, 'The numbers of this singular animal will speedily diminish, extermination will have its full sway, and it will then, like the wolf of England and Scotland, be recorded as an animal of the past.' 

1899 年，墨尔本动物园仅成功尝试过一次人工饲养泰拉鼠。尽管一些动物园，特别是伦敦动物园和塔斯马尼亚的霍巴特动物园饲养了大量的泰拉康，但还是没有成功。著名博物学家约翰-古尔德（John Gould）在 1848 年至 1863 年间出版的《澳大利亚哺乳动物》一书中预见到了袋狼的消亡，他写道："这种奇特动物的数量将迅速减少，灭绝将全面展开，到那时，它就会像英格兰和苏格兰的狼一样，被记录为过去的动物。

However, there seems to have been little public pressure to preserve the thylacine, nor was much concern expressed by scientists at the decline of this species in the decades that followed. A notable exception was T.T. Flynn, Professor of Biology at the University of Tasmania. In 1914, he was sufficiently concerned about the scarcity of the thylacine to suggest that some should be captured and placed on a small island. But it was not until 1929, with the species on the very edge of extinction, that Tasmania's Animals and Birds Protection Board passed a motion protecting thylacines only for the month of December, which was thought to be their prime breeding season. The last known wild thylacine to be killed was shot by a farmer in the north-east of Tasmania in 1930, leaving just captive specimens. Official protection of the species by the Tasmanian government was introduced in July 1936, 59 days before the last known individual died in Hobart Zoo on 7th September, 1936. 

然而，公众似乎并没有施加什么压力来保护泰拉犬，科学家们也没有对这一物种在随后几十年中的衰退表示出多少担忧。塔斯马尼亚大学生物学教授弗林（T.T. Flynn）是一个明显的例外。1914 年，他对袋狼的稀少感到担忧，建议捕捉一些袋狼并将其安置在一个小岛上。但直到 1929 年，在该物种濒临灭绝的情况下，塔斯马尼亚的动物和鸟类保护委员会才通过一项动议，仅在 12 月份保护泰拉鼠，因为当时人们认为 12 月份是泰拉鼠繁殖的黄金季节。1930 年，塔斯马尼亚东北部的一位农民枪杀了最后一只已知的野生袋狼，仅留下人工饲养的标本。塔斯马尼亚政府于 1936 年 7 月开始正式保护该物种，此时距离 1936 年 9 月 7 日最后一只已知个体在霍巴特动物园死亡还有 59 天。

There have been numerous expeditions and searches for the thylacine over the years, none of which has produced definitive evidence that thylacines still exist. The species was declared extinct by the Tasmanian government in 1986. 

多年来，人们曾多次探险和搜寻袋狼，但都没有找到袋狼仍然存在的确切证据。1986 年，塔斯马尼亚政府宣布该物种灭绝。

* marsupial: a mammal, such as a kangaroo, whose young are born incompletely developed and are typically carried and suckled in a pouch on the mother's belly

** bounty hunters: people who are paid a reward for killing a wild animal

* 有袋动物：一种哺乳动物，如袋鼠，其幼子出生时发育不全，通常在母体腹部的袋中被怀抱和吮吸

**赏金猎人：因猎杀野生动物而获得赏金的人