Tasmanian Tiger colours

What colour is a Tasmanian Tiger?

The answer to this one should be easy, right? Thylacines are sandy yellow with black stripes! But not so fast...

As with many details about the Thylacine, we can't be fully sure as to the colour, or colours, this species exhibited.

Historical descriptions

The Tasmanian Tiger has been described as all of the following (Sleightholme & Campbell, 2018):

• dusky yellowish brown (Harris, 1808)
• yellowish brown with a hint of olive (Temminck, 1824)
• dirty yellowish brown (Litchfield, 1839)
• grizzled buff (Kinghorn, 1949)
• grey (Paterson, 1805; Woolley & Thorpe, 1947)
• creamy brown (young animals - see below)
• with varying shades of brown being the general consensus (Waterhouse, 1841; Gould, 1851; Broderip, 1852; Meredith, 1852; Lydekker, 1894; Devaney, 1930; Jackson, 1937; Guiler, 1985; Dixon, 1989)
  • light brown
  • sandy colour
  • deep brown
  • pale brown
  • greyish brown
• and the coat is paler ventrally

Young animals

Moeller describes young that are newly emerged from the pouch as being a somewhat paler "creamy brown" than the adults.

Localised habitat variations

One bushman, Dick Rowe, is reported by Paddle (2000) as suggesting the "colour variation in the coat of the adult Thylacine was related to the locality of its home range, with darker coats from the wetter mountainous areas and lighter coats from the drier lowlands but this supposition, although plausible, is yet to be tested" (Sleightholme & Campbell, 2018).

Albinism and Melanism

There are no accounts in the literature of albinism or melanic forms, although these forms are entirely possible.

All of the above information relating to historical accounts is drawn and paraphrased from Sleightholme & Campbell (2018).

The New Zealand Tasmanian Tiger skin

In 2017 a Tasmanian Tiger skin was rediscovered in a private collection in Whanganui, New Zealand. It had left Tasmania in 1923 with taxidermist Archibald Robertson. His daughter inherited it in 1970. It was loaned to a shop owner who was a taxidermist, in 1999 and stored. Then, in 2017 a local museum curator spotted it and shared a photo of the skin on social media. Its present home is at the Australian National Museum in Canberra (O'Mallon, 2019).

This skin is important to the discussion on Tasmanian Tiger colours because it has, for the majority of its time, been stored in the dark - and therefore will have suffered fewer of the blanching effects caused by exposure to light.

The Whanganui skin. Source: NZ Herald 2019, where it is credited: Photo / Supplied.

The above photograph shows the NZ skin presumably as it was most recently stored before being rediscovered. The skin, as seen above, is possibly best described as mostly grey, tending brownish along the spine forward of the stripes.

The NZ skin laid out. Source: Source: NZ Herald 2019, where it is credited: Photo / Supplied.

In this photograph the skin has been laid out on a white sheet. Assessing the lighting, it appears there is some direct light - presumably sunlight from a window - on the right-half of the skin (as viewed). In this photograph, the skin may best be described as sandy grey, or orange-grey.

The New Zealand Tasmanian Tiger skin displayed. Source: The Canberra Times / O'Mallon, 2019, where it is credited: Photo: Supplied.

The above photograph presents a top-down view of the NZ skin. The lighting conditions here are unknown but from the fall of shadows it would seem diffuse lighting (such as from a window or appropriate studio flash) is coming from the upper portion of the frame. In this photograph the skin is perhaps best described as grey with slight warm brownish tones.

The NZ skin being prepared for display. Source: About Regional / Bushnell, 2019, where it is credited: Photo: Jason McCarthy, NMA.

It is amazing to think that this is in fact the same skin as its colour has gone from practically grey, in the earliest photos, to a sandy colour comparable to a classic dingo coat. Seen here are National Museum of Australia Curator Karen Schamberger and Conservator Prue Castles. Apt descriptions for the skin in this photograph are perhaps: sandy / sandy brown / tan. In terms of lighting, although not confirmed, it is reasonable to expect the skin is here under lights having a warm tone, such as is common with halogens. Notably, though, these (light) tones tend to mimic daylight reasonably well.

The NZ skin in a transport container. Source: The Canberra Times / O'Mallon, 2019, where it is credited: Photo: Karleen Minney.

Finally, we have the same skin yet again, in its transport container. In this case the skin is laid against a white background and was photographed in a room that appears to be a staff-only area at the Australian National Museum. It is quite possible the lighting in this case is fluorescent, although that is unconfirmed. In this photograph the skin may be described as a pale sandy colour, tending whitish, in parts, or otherwise perhaps a dirty sandy yellow.

Influences on colour perception

As can be seen from the five photographs above, many factors will influence our perception of colour. These include:

• The colour of the thing we are viewing - ie. the Tasmanian Tiger skin - this is what we are trying to understand
• The lighting conditions at the time (tint or tone of light - sunlight is warmer; overcast days are cooler; artificial lighting can mimic a wide range of lighting conditions; shade will affect tone again)
• The camera's interpretation of light - ie. the setup of the camera at the time the photograph was taken (especially colour/white balance)
• Any post-processing carried out on the image - ie. colour adjustments using photo manipulation software
• The rendering of the photograph on a given screen (eg. LCD monitor, CRT screen, matte/gloss screen, mobile device) or printing technique, if printed
• Viewing conditions at the time of viewing the photograph (cf. a mobile screen outdoors on a sunny day, with a desktop monitor indoors under fluorescent lighting)

Below is a composite image derived from the above photographs. It shows the same Thylacine skin under a variety of lighting conditions as described.

Composite showing the same Thylacine skin as seen in five different photographs. WLMD.

To pull out the various descriptions listed above, this single skin has just been described as:

• mostly grey, tending brownish along the spine forward of the stripes
• sandy grey, or orange-grey
• grey with slight warm brownish tones
• sandy / sandy brown / tan
• pale sandy colour, tending whitish, in parts, or otherwise perhaps a dirty sandy yellow

Needless to say, even these descriptions were influenced by the display and viewing conditions at the time the photographs were described.

Conclusion

Many of the above influences on colour perception are relevant only because we are analysing photographs - as opposed to viewing an animal in life. In many cases, digital photographs are the only source we have, in order to understand the Thylacine's colours. For those with access to view a taxidermy - for example, at a university or museum - the influence of lighting conditions cannot be overstated. Further, it may be that preservation techniques, age and exposure to light have all impacted the appearance of a skin. In most cases, these processes are likely to lighten the colours.

The New Zealand, or Whanganui skin, is novel in that its preservation is probably better than most, and we also have some photos available which are taken under familiar lighting conditions - in a living room beside a window for light, or in a darker part of the room. It is these first two photos that tend to align best with descriptions of grey and brown while photos under artificial lighting tend to bring out the warmer sandy and tan tones.

The first two photos are also notable because the fur here very nearly matches that of an Eastern Grey Kangaroo, or even Koala. These are familiar animals.

The best description for the colour of the Tasmanian Tiger is probably subjective but it is clear that the primary colour falls somewhere between sandy tan, through brown, to grey. Personally I find the first few photos compelling and suggestive of something similar to the Eastern Grey Kangaroo (called Forester Kangaroo in Tasmania) with perhaps brown highlights in sunlight.

References

About Regional / Bushnell, 2019. "Rare Tasmanian tiger skin now on display at National Museum" https://aboutregional.com.au/rare-tasmanian-tiger-skin-now-on-display-at-national-museum/ Accessed 11 Nov 2019.

Canberra Times / O'Mallon, 2019. "'A huge adventure': Museum's new thylacine pelt carries a sad weight" https://www.canberratimes.com.au/story/5996117/a-huge-adventure-museums-new-thylacine-pelt-carries-a-sad-weight/ Accessed 11 Nov 2019.

NZ Herald, 2019. "Skin discovered in NZ may help resurrect Tasmanian tiger" https://www.newstalkzb.co.nz/news/national/skin-discovered-in-nz-may-help-resurrect-tasmanian-tiger/ Accessed 11 Nov 2019.

Sleightholme, S. R., Campbell, C. R. 2018. Stripe pattern variation in the coat of the Thylacine (Thylacinus cynocephalus), Australian Zoologist, (in press). https://doi.org/10.7882/AZ.2018.024.