This is a Tasmanian tiger, also known as a thyalcine. Though they used to inhabit Australia's mainland, they'd disappeared from there around 2,000 years ago and a small population of them lived on the island of Tasmania.
The bounty, however, was only one of several factors that contributed to its demise. Habitat loss and fires spread their population. The ensuing competition for food with other predators plus an epidemic disease lead to their extinction.
There's even a Facebook group dedicated to them that includes people who believe they have seen one. As the founder of the group explains, "People don't have any reason to make these things up, they're not looking for attention, they're just looking for someone not to laugh at them."
7. Video Evidence?
Some people have even uploaded video of what they believe to be the Tasmanian tiger, though others believe the animals might be foxes or dingos.
It's not just a fringe population that believes they're still alive. A cryptozoologist team of investigators from the Centre for Fortean Zoology has "no doubt" that members of the species are still alive, and have spent time hunting for them.
Finding the Tasmanian tiger, however, has its own challenges. The area where they're looking for them has sparse, rocky ground, which makes finding their paw prints impossible. Tasmanian devils also quickly eat animal corpses.
Still, the numerous sightings bring hope that maybe, just maybe, this species isn't totally gone forever.