| G. R. Waterhouse (1846),
in "The Natural History of the Mammalia",
gives an accurate descriptive account of the thylacine. Waterhouse
states:
"The general resemblance
which the Thylacinus bears to a wolf or large dog, has struck many, and
indeed, has caused it to be, by some, arranged amongst the ordinary Carnivora.
Its legs, however, are proportionately shorter than in the wolf, and, judging
from the structure of its foot, its body must be brought much nearer the
ground, in walking, than that of the Wolf, it being termed a semi-plantigrade
animal. The muzzle is more elongated and narrower than in other Dasyuridae.
The ears are rather short, very broad at the base and somewhat pointed
at the opposite extremity; they are well clothed with hairs, both internally
and externally; on the outer side the hairs are coloured like those on
the upper part of the head, excepting towards the tip of the ear, where
they are paler; on the inner side the hairs are of a brownish white hue,
slightly inclining to yellow; near the anterior angle they are very long.
The eyes according to Mr. Harris, are large and full, of a black colour,
and provided with a nictitant membrane. Long black bristles spring
from the upper lip; a few are also observed on the cheeks, and above the
eye. The fur of the animal is short, somewhat closely applied to
the skin, though of a slightly woolly texture, owing to each of the hairs
of which it is composed being waved. The general tint of the animal
is greyish brown, but faintly suffused with yellowish; on the under parts
of the body of a paler hue than the upper. The fur on the back is
of a deep brown colour next the skin, and each hair (excepting those which
form the transverse black bands) is yellowish brown towards the point,
and dusky at the point; on the abdomen the hairs are of a paler brown at
the root, and brown white externally. The black bands alluded to
are usually about 14 in number, they commence immediately behind the shoulders,
and are at first narrow and confined to the back, but, proceeding towards
the tail, they become gradually broader, and are more extended in the lateral
direction; those on the haunches are the longest, and are often forked
at their extremities. The general tint of the head is rather paler
than that of the body, and the region of the eye is of a whitish hue, but
a dark spot is observable at the anterior angle of the eye, and a narrow
dark line runs over the eye: the muzzle is dusky; the edge of the upper
lip white. The limbs, externally, and the feet scarcely differ in
colour from the body. The large pads at the base of the toes of the
fore foot are naked, and exceedingly rough, and a narrow naked mark runs
backwards from these pads to the wrist; a similar narrow mark runs along
the under side of the hind foot, from the heel to the great rough pads
at the base of the toes. The claws of the fore and hind feet are
nearly equal in size; short thick, but slightly compressed, and solid;
and they are of a brown colour. The tail is about half as long as
the body; thick at the base, where it is covered in somewhat woolly fur,
like that on the body, but at about the commencement of the second fourth
of the tail the hairs become short and harsh, and are closely applied to
the skin, they are brown on the upper surface, and pale brown on the under;
on the under surface of the apical portion of the tail, however, the hairs
are comparatively long, as well as at the point where they are blackish:
about three or four black bands are observable on the basal part of the
tail above. The region of the pouch in the female is clothed with
rusty red hairs".
Waterhouse goes on to
compare the external measurements from the female he had just described
with measurements taken from a male specimen in the collection of The British
Museum. |
