The Tasmanian tiger — a marsupial the looked like a cross between a large cat, a fox, and a wolf — was thought to have gone extinct in 1936.

But according to a document recently released by the Tasmanian government, eight sightings of a Tasmanian tiger have been reported across the continent in the past three years.

The most recent report came in July, when a man found what is thought to be a Tasmanian tiger footprint in Hobart, Tasmania.

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Eight reported sightings of a creature believed to be extinct are forcing experts to wonder whether it could still be alive.

The Tasmanian tiger, a large striped marsupial carnivore, was thought to have died out in 1936 — when what was thought to be the last one of its kind died in captivity in the Hobart Zoo in 1936.

Since then, there have been regular claims of unsubstantiated sightings, giving the animal an almost mythical status in Tasmanian culture.

But a newly released government document from Tasmania's Department of Primary Industries, Parks, Water and Environment reveals that Australian citizens have reported Tasmanian tiger sightings as recently as two months ago.

The species, officially called a thylacine, resembled a cross between a large cat, a fox, and a wolf. It had yellowish brown fur, powerful jaws, and a pouch for its young like a kangaroo.

One of the recent sightings was reported by a Western Australian couple visiting Tasmania in February who said they saw one of the creatures crossing the road near their car.

The animal "turned and looked at the vehicle a couple of times" and "was in clear view for 12-15 seconds," their report read. Both people in the car "are 100% certain that the animal they saw was a thylacine."

It had stripes down its back, according to the report.

A captive Tasmanian tiger at the Hobart Zoo in 1933. National Archives of Australia/Wikimedia Commons

Another report in the same month described a striped "cat-like creature" moving through the mist in the distance, CNN reported.

Two years ago, another driver reported seeing a possible thylacine near in northwestern Tasmania. The driver "seemed certain that, if it was a cat, it was a bloody big one," the report noted.

Most recently, in July, a man near Hobart in southeastern Tasmania reported seeing a footprint that seemed to match that of the Tasmanian tiger.

The creature, native to both Tasmania and the Australian mainland, was the only member of the Thylacinidae family to survive into modern times, according to the Australian Museum. European colonists in the 19th century killed thousands of thylacines for attacking sheep, which most likely contributed to the species' demise.

In 2002, scientists at the Australian Museum replicated thylacine DNA, opening the door to potentially reviving the species with cloning technology.