Scientists have detailed a significant proportion of the genes found in the extinct Tasmanian “tiger”.
The international team extracted the hereditary information from the hair of preserved animal remains held in Swedish and US museums.
The information has allowed scientists to confirm the tiger’s evolutionary relationship to other marsupials.
The study, reported in the journal Genome Research, may also give pointers as to why some animals die out.
The two tigers examined had near-identical DNA, suggesting there was very little genetic diversity in the species when it went over the edge.
Jonathan Amos
Science reporter, BBC News
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