Close Lately, there has been a buzz about the existence of a certain long accepted to be extinct species. The Tasmanian tiger is no longer alive. The reports of Its long-term survival have been greatly exaggerated. (Photo : Australian Museum) Recent Sightings The massive marsupial creatures known scientifically as thylacines, which looked more like wild dogs than tigers, spread across Tasmania and the Australian mainland, were declared extinct in 1936. The president of the Thylacine Awareness Group of Australia, Neil Waters, promised definitive photographic evidence of a surviving thylacine on Feb. 23. He reported the four images showed a family of thylacines traveling through thick brush, including a juvenile. The news sparked a frenzy of enthusiasm among wildlife enthusiasts.