Colourised footage of the last known Tasmanian tiger has emerged online, allowing a rare glimpse at how the animal looked before it became extinct.

The animal officially became extinct in Australia when the last known member of the species - named Benjamin - died at Hobart Zoo in 1936.

Benjamin was filmed walking through his enclosure at the zoo by biologist David Fleay in 1933.

The historic footage has since been colourised and was shared to Reddit on Wednesday.

The tiger, referred to as Benjamin, reportedly bit biologist David Fleay on the bottom as he captured the historic black and white footage. Mr Fleay took this picture in 1933

Colourised footage of the last known Tasmanian tiger has emerged online, showing the now extinct animal in all of its glory

The video showed the distinctly striped marsupial lying in the sun, scratching itself with its back leg and eating a meal.

Mr Fleay was bitten on the bottom by Benjamin as he studied the creature.

'Really sucks that we'll likely never see a real thylacine again,' one viewer said.

'I still want to believe that we will see a real thylacine in the future. Biotechnology and molecular biology has been improving for a while now,' another said.

'Anyone find this oddly eerie? Imagine how it felt dying alone without any if it's kind around it. Scary.'

Many described the marsupial as 'beautiful' and shared their 'heartbreak' that humans had a role in their eventual destruction.

While others remain hopeful the tiger scours remote areas of the country to this day.

'A part of me still believes there still out there,' one person said.

'There is some hope that they might still exist in the more remote areas of northern Australia - with some alleged sightings. The chances are remote at best,' said another.

'It might be out there. You never know. It's a big, pristine area of wilderness.'

There are a number of Facebook groups and pages where believers discuss the tiger and share their sightings.

Tasmanian tigers were the largest known carnivorous marsupials and are widely believed to have become extinct on mainland Australia in the 20th century

'This group [Thylacine/Tassie Tiger/Big Cats Queensland] is for people that believe that they [Tasmanian tigers] exist and it is only a matter of time before proof of evidence is found,' one group description reads.

Another Facebook page, Tasmanian Tiger sightings in Rokeby, was created after residents in the Hobart suburb claimed to see the animals.

'We thought they were extinct, but the people of Rokeby are adamant that they see these furry little beasts running around at least once a fortnight,' the page said.

In January, farmer Peter Groves shared an image online of what viewers believed to be a Tasmanian tiger near Clifton Springs, a town in Victoria.

Tasmanian tigers had the general appearance of a medium-to-large sized dog with a stiff tail, abdominal pouch and dark stripes across its lower back.