1936. The last time anybody saw a Tasmanian tiger on this planet.
But now, after sightings of the meat-eating animal in northern Australia, the hunt to find them is back on.
The carnivorous animals were noted as extinct when the last died in a zoo in Tasmania itself over 80 years ago.
Eyewitness accounts, provided by expedia.co.uk and a former park ranger, will now mean that 50 camera traps will be set up in the area in hope of finding the surviving population.
Credit: PA
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Professor Bill Laurence will be heading up the survey, but he's not got an easy task. The Cape York Peninsula (where the sightings have occurred) is Australia's largest wilderness area.
He told the Telegraph that the accounts so far are exciting but have their limitations.
He said all sightings "have been at night, and in one case four animals were observed at close range, about 20 feet away, with a spotlight.
"We have cross-checked the descriptions we received of eye shine colour, body size, and shape, animal behaviour, and other attributes," he added. "These are consistent with known attributes of other large bodied-species in north Queensland such as dingoes, wild dogs or feral pigs."
Certainly, in Australia, it's been a while since a species went extinct.
The sharp-snouted torrent frog was written out in 1997, and a year before the southern boobook (a bird) was also listed as extinct. For Europe, the last Pyrenean Ibex went extinct between 2000 and 2009.
Improving conservation efforts are helping to keep some animal numbers stable.
A lot of the reports of the Tasmanian Tiger, in the past, have often been written off as feral cats or dogs. However, the last two sightings have convinced investigators to go and look in more detail.
Considered 'believable', the exact locations are being kept under wraps, to stop anyone threatening the animals.
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Patrick Shears, a qualified ranger, told the Telegraph reports have been backed up by aboriginal tribes.
"They call it 'moonlight tiger'. They're curious," he said. "If you're not moving they'll come within a reasonable range and check you out then just trot off."
And your history lesson for the day (every day is a school day, remember): the Tiger has been depicted in art for over 3,000 years and is believed to be related to western carnivorous dogs but it evolved its teeth, claws and the striped back when in isolation. It was believed to become extinct with a combination of hunting from dingoes and humans.
Featured Image Credit: PA