On this day in 1936, the last known thylacine (Thylacinus cynocephalus) died at the Hobart Zoo in Tasmania. The animal’s passing marked the extinction of its species. Though unverified reports have persisted into the present, no definitive sightings have occurred since the 1930s. Preserved specimens are likely now all that remain of this animal, underscoring the current need to protect our planet’s wildlife before it’s too late.