The family Thylacinidae, within the order Dasyuromorphia, is an extinct group of carnivorous marsupials native to Australia and New Guinea. The most well-known member, the thylacine (Thylacinus cynocephalus), commonly called the Tasmanian tiger, was a dog-like predator with a stiff tail, striped lower back, and powerful jaws adapted for hunting small to medium-sized vertebrates. Thylacinids were primarily nocturnal hunters, occupying ecological niches similar to canids on other continents. Fossil evidence indicates that this family was once more diverse, but by the time of European colonization, the thylacine was the only surviving species. Human activity, habitat loss, and introduced predators contributed to its extinction in the 20th century, with the last confirmed individual dying in captivity in 1936.