Encounter Atlas
The Queensland tiger is a striped, cat-like predator reported in the forests of Queensland. Witnesses describe an animal about the size of a dog, with stripes, a long tail, big front teeth and a fierce temper, and say it can climb trees.
The earliest written witness reports date from 1871. Norwegian naturalist Carl Lumholtz, exploring around the Herbert River in the 1880s, heard Aboriginal people describe a savage, dingo-sized, long-tailed animal they called the yarri. Australian Museum curator Ellis Troughton later included a 'striped marsupial cat' in his book on Australian mammals.
Some suggest a surviving marsupial lion (Thylacoleo) or a mainland thylacine. Modern sightings that have been checked, such as the 'Beast of Buderim', have usually turned out to be large feral cats.
What witnesses report
- A dog-sized, striped cat
- A long tail
- Climbing trees when chased
- Prominent front teeth
Famous cases
- 1889Carl Lumholtz's Among Cannibals describes the yarri
Ingham, Queensland
Seen the Queensland tiger?
Tell us what happened. Every report is read by a person before it goes on the map, and you can stay anonymous.
