“The data sets within the ITSD are supported by an image bank of around 1700 high-resolution digital photographs of the specimens themselves.  All biological material deteriorates over time and these unique digital images will act as a permanent record of the specimens for future generations in their present state of preservation”.

Nicholas Ayliffe
Photographer to ITSD Project
 

. Nicholas Ayliffe (Photographer to the ITSD Project) with a taxidermy specimen in the Leiden Museum of Natural History (Naturalis) in the Netherlands.

One of the major areas of concern that became all too apparent when visiting the various collections was the general poor state of preservation of some of the specimens.  Many of the taxidermy mounts for example were showing obvious signs of deterioration with the body or tails cracking or the whole mount bleached by over exposure to light over the years so that the original coat colour was all but lost. A number of the thylacine skins that were examined also showed signs of marked deterioration.  Several skins in the Natural History Museum in Berlin for example had lost some 20% of their overall area in fewer than 40 years.

This was the principal justification for including a digital image bank of all of the specimen material in the ITSD.  In 100 years time it is quite likely that some of these fragile specimens may be lost to science.  Each and every thylacine specimen is a unique and an extremely important part of Australia’s natural heritage and consequently of immense value to science.  There may be little we can do to stop the natural deterioration process but the digital photographic record will survive for many generations to come and will allow future researchers access to thylacine specimens that may themselves have disappeared.

. Structural damage observed to various taxidermy mounts.

Another problem area was the absence of specimen data.  Natural History Museums traditionally collect, classify, conserve, study and exhibit biological specimen material.  The value and ethical justification in building up these collections are in the data that accompanies the specimens.  Without the data the specimens' value to science is markedly degraded.
 

. Thylacine skin showing loss to hindquarters and tail.  Specimen ZMB B3.64.  Courtesy - Museum für Naturkunde (Berlin).

In the early history of these institutions little if any attention was paid to the collection of scientific data.  It was to a great extent a race to acquire as many new specimens as possible and everything else was secondary to this goal.  In that race however, valuable data was often lost or destroyed and consequently detailed collection information on much of the thylacine specimen material is sparse to say the least.  Retrospectively, some restoration of data can be acquired from careful study of the specimen e.g., sex and age for example, but other details such as locality of collection are irretrievably lost.

“The International Thylacine Specimen Database is a unique and precise database of the largest modern day marsupial carnivore.  I am confident that all researchers will appreciate both its complexity and accuracy as a research tool.  It is a wonderful resource and an extremely valuable part of Australia’s natural heritage.”

Prof. Dr. Heinz F. Moeller
Former Director of the Zoological Museum & Department of Comparative Morphology of Vertebrates, Heidelberg University
Author of “Der Beutelwolf”