Scientists have discovered three new species of Tasmanian wolf, giving us a glimpse into the evolutionary history of the iconic Tasmanian tiger.

Fossils discovered at the Riversleigh World Heritage Area in north-west Queensland have been dated to the late Oligocene, around 23–25 million years ago.

The new species, named Badjcinus timfaulkneri, Nimbacinus peterbridgei and Ngamalacinus nigelmarveni, are the oldest members of the Tasmanian wolf family ever discovered.

The largest of them, Badjcinus timfaulkneri, weighed between 7 and 11 kilograms, making it significantly larger than its previously known relative, Badjcinus turnbulli.

Lead researcher Tim Churchill, a PhD student at UNSW, said the discovery of Badjcinus timfaulkneri provides valuable information on the origins of the Tasmanian tiger.

“Until now, the much smaller Badjcinus turnbulli, weighing about 2.7 kg, was the only other known representative of late Oligocene tapeworms,” he said.

“The teeth, including a mandible and a single first molar, were found at the Hiatus site in Riversleigh, which is even older than the White Hunter site where Badjcinus turnbulli was previously found.”

“This makes Badjcinus timfaulkneri the oldest Tasmanian wolf ever discovered.”

The smallest of them, Ngamalacinus nigelmarveni, weighed about 5.1 kilograms and was about the size of a red fox.

“All of these evolutionary lines, except the one that led to the modern Tasmanian wolf, became extinct 8 million years ago,” Churchill said.

“This lineage ended with the death of Benjamin, the last Tasmanian tiger, at Beaumaris Zoo in Hobart, on 7 September 1936.”