"The onslaught of destruction wrought upon the thylacine by the early settlers of Tasmania came about largely as a result of fear, ignorance, and misunderstanding." An extinct carnivorous marsupial.
posted by interrobang on May 4, 2005 - 16 comments

The Tasmanian Tiger or thylacine [Thylacinus cynocephalus], a marsupial, was thought to have become extinct when the last known animal died in captivity from exposure in 1936. There have been numerous alleged sightings since. A German tourist supposedly photographed one recently (free reg.). Now there's a reward out for producing a live specimen but with prohibitive conditions requiring a permit that won't be issued. The thylacine cloning project has just been abandoned because the pup (from 1866) was kept in alcohol and not formalin - degrading the DNA.
posted by peacay on Mar 27, 2005 - 16 comments

Possums are labelled an ecological pest in New Zealand, so apparently it's considered "pro-environment" to exterminate the little buggers. With that good feeling about wearing fur in your minds, save the forest and ease your holiday shopping at the same time with some fine New Zealand Possum Fur G-strings and nipple warmers. (Probably NSFW) But don't leave out the kids' Christmas lists! Make sure they get this season's hot toy- a possum hand puppet fashioned straight from the carcass of the real thing! Mmmm, it's still warm.
posted by XQUZYPHYR on Dec 9, 2002 - 18 comments