Strategic Position of the UK Tourism Industry Essay

Strategic Position of the UK Tourism Industry - Essay Example The present research has identified that the UK tourism industry is facing tough competition from other tourist destinations in Europe, such as France, Italy, Spain, and Germany. Due to decline in the valuable US market, the industry is facing the slowdown. The increasing number of Chinese tourists over past few years and the high average spending capacity of these visitors present China as a potential emerging market for UK tourism. While competitive tourist destinations are already capturing Chinese visitors, UK tourism industry needs to take some urgent steps including promotion of UK as a favorite tourist destination along with government taking suitable measures related to visa and tax policies. The information regarding the strategic position of UK tourism industry and strategic option suitable for it are collected from secondary sources on the internet including newspaper articles, articles from websites, such as Visit Britain, tourism society, etc. Other authentic sources of secondary information have also been searched to take the strategic audit. In order to do the strategic audit, suitable marketing models are used. The report has focused on the tourism industry as a whole and complies with the guidelines of the national tourism agency of Britain i.e. Visit Britain. A threat of new entrants: The threat of new entrants into the tourism industry of UK is quite high. Earlier, there were only a handful of low-cost carriers in the airline sector of the tourism industry. However, today there are a significant number of low-cost carriers that are presenting competition to well-established low-cost carrier services of Ryan Air and Easy Jet. Considering the emergence of new destinations for tourists on the global tourism map, the threat of new entrants is high. Governments of several countries and specifically the third world countries, such as Sri Lanka, India, etc. are seeing tourism as the major source to give the boost to their economy. Â  

Oceans support Essay Example for Free

Oceans support Essay What would happen to the earth’s terrestrial and aquatic species (a) if most of the world’s oceans disappeared and (b) if most of the world’s land disappeared? a) More than two- thirds of the earth’s surface is covered with oceans. These oceans support up to nine tents of the habitable environmement without which most the living organisms will perish. Several life forms are supported by the oceans. The coral reefs, salt marshes and sea grass beds are exampls of ocean environments which support a large number of species which live in symbiosis. It is vital to note that ocean water support land- dwelling organisms. The oceans influence the climate andd weather thus affecting life on land. The water from the ocean evaporates and rises. It then cools and forms rainfal which is important for the survival of land -dwelling organisms. The rainfall is also the basiss of rivers and lakes. It can therefore be concluded that if the oceans disapeared, most of the living organisms will dissapear. Perhaps a few organisns will remanin from the little water available but eventually it will dry up and no more life on earth. b) If most of the land disapeared, most land vegetation would dissapear. This means less food for land animals hence most land animals would die. Some aquatic animals depend on land for reproduction. Thus lack of land may cause extinction of such animals. This may cause imblance of life in the ocean causign the death of more life. It can be argued that most organisms would dissapear but some aquatic animals will survive. Why do deserts and arctic tundra support much smaller biomass of animals than do tropical forests? Why do most animals in tropical rain forest live in its trees? Arctic tundra occur at high latitudes. They receive little water as precipitation. Howewer, their soil remains wet since there is little evaporation due to low temperatures. Also the low temperatures lead to freezing of the soil thus prevenitng underground drainage. The low temperature affects the soil and climate in general and cannot favor the survival of many animals. This impplies low biomass. In the deserts there is a lot of heat and lack of water. Therefore desert animals must develop serveral adaptations in order to survive. Most are noctunal. Due to extra care the animals need to survive, they may not get favourable conditions for cohabiation hence low rate of reproduction. Most animal species cannot survive in the desert leading to low biomass. On the other hand toripical forests receive much rain and warmth throught the year and therefoe consist of tall trees. Due to availability of food and favourable climate many animals live in the forets. The animal reproduce faster than in the deserts. This results to a greater biomass. Many animals in the forest live in trees since they have to adopt themselves to the forests. The trees are tall and therefore the animals have to climb to find food and sunlight. The insects and birds mostly depend on nector which has to be found high up the trees. How would you reply to someone who argues that we should not worry about our effects on natural systems because natural succession will heal the wounds of human activities and restore the balance of nature? If nature is left alone it will always heal itself. Human activities deplete natural resources at a rate faster than it can sustain. Due human activities, there has been destruction of habitats. Forests have been destroyed which will take several years to recover. In the seas and oceans, there has been overexploitation of fish which bring about imbalance of aquatic ecosystems. Many fish species have become extinct which affects all organisms in the food chain. Human activities have also brought about global warming which has led to climate change. This change leads to extinction of plant and animal species. Man has also brought in some alien species of plants and animals which may affect those organisms in their natural habitat. How would you reply to someone who contends that efforts to preserve natural systems are not worthwhile because nature is largely unpredictable? One can argue that nature is unpredictable. However, most of the ways of nature are known. For instance it is known fish eat planktons. It is expected that if there is overfishing, there would be excess of phytoplankton. This will affect all other members in the food chains. Consequently marine life would be affected. Excess phytoplankton may decay and cause further damage. Some members in the food chain may become extinct. Also careless use of chemicals affects the sea life thus destabilizing the sea life. Inasmuch natural disasters and the course of nature may cause damage, deliberate harmful activities cause great damage quickly than would have been caused by natural disasters.

How Genders Are Represented In Video Games Media Essay

How Genders Are Represented In Video Games Media Essay This paper will discuss how genders are represented as well as perceived in todays video games. With reforming feminist and equality groups attacking every outlet of mainstream news, video games have now become the new mass media that remains the only real form of entertainment that truly represents modern day views and beliefs. Recent games have shifted the trend from the macho stereotypic male hero protagonist to a more feminine female protagonist with great success, judging by recent Portal 2 sales in which the main protagonist was a female. This also remains true with antagonists as well. Gender can be used either in a subversive or sexist way. Females are often objectified predominantly by using powerful visual dynamics. This includes their mannerisms, roles in games but most often, the clothes they wear. Sexism has often been a talking point from as early as the 90s. In Ann Cudd and Leslie Jones paper Sexism,  sexism is define as à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ a systematic, pervasive, but often subtle, force that maintains the oppression of women, and that this is at work through institutional structures in interpersonal interactions and the attitudes that are expressed in them, and in the cognitive, linguistic, and emotional processes of individual mindsà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ our very experience of the world (105-6). Censorship also plays are significant role on how genders are represented in video games. This greatly relates to nudity and sexual references. This could be seen as a positive as this forces game developers/publishers to think harder on the necessity that sex plays in their games. Is it really necessary and/or practical to have females represented as whores? Why should they be represented like this? Why are males represented so differently to females? You dont see many games representing males as whores. This is a good way of nailing developers into thinking harder about the characters, plot and settings. In the end, it comes down to how profitable a game can be and games do have to be tailored in order to be released in certain countries. One could argue that this damages video games as they have to be watered down potentially harming the games story, but does it really? Considering that many games portray females as sex objects and have no place in todays society, I tend to agree. As adults, we do have the right to choose what we want to look at but we also have the moral responsibility to do what is right, and this should remain true in video games. The games that will be looked at in this paper are: The Witcher, Dragon Age 2, Portal 2, Bulletstorm; and Hydrophobia: Prophecy. This will compare and contrast two game titles of similar nature in which gender representation in both games will be thoroughly examined. Game 1: The Witcher The Witcher is a role playing game delevoped by CD Projeckt RED STUDIO and was released as a PC exclusive in 2007. The game is based on a series of books by the same name by Polish author Andrzej Sapkowski. The game is based on a mediaeval fantasy world of Temeria  and tells the story Geralt of Rivia, a Witcher who was at some point killed or at the very least, near death but was later revived by his fellow witchers at their stronghold Kaer Morhen. Unfortunately, he loses his memory in the process. The player gains control of Geralt and lead him through a non-linear story in which the player makes moral choices that affect the overall outcome of the game. The game was censored at release in North America, Australia and the United Kingdom. This was later resolved through a patch known as the Enhanced Edition that failed to determine the users location (source), as well as improving on gameplay, graphics, loading times among other things. The main reason that this game was censored was how the game depicted women as well as receiving sex as a reward. Players were also rewarded what became to be known as sex cards, which depicted the women that you as Geralt slept with. There were also some modifications to the dialogue for what was said to be distasteful, for example, a scene where Geralt barges into a ladies house, Where the hell do you think youre going with all the dung on your boots?! Out with you! This was cut into Who are you? Get out! in the censored versions. One of the games focal aspects, apart from the immersive atmospheric world, story and gameplay, was on Geralts relationship with women. Witchers are generally perceived to be great sex machines but without the fantastic stereotypical looks (source). A good way to sum Geralt up is that hes an outsider, often referred to as a mutant in the game world and has many similarities, in terms of looks, to an albino. Relationships/sex does play an integral part of the game. Geralts choices in who he has relationships with, greatly affects the outcome, not only at the end but throughout the entire game. Women do have a dominant role in this game and this is evident with characters such as Shani, Abigail and Triss Merigold. All three are strong women and although highly sexualised, they do play a significant role in the game. Geralts relationships with all three, one as friends and the other two sexually, determines on how the game progresses in terms with the story. Prostitutes also play a significant role as the player can gain valuable information by both helping them on side quests and/or sleeping with them. A good example of this is Carmen, the madame at one of the brothels. She asks for your help on helping find a cure for a werewolf she loves in which you could either kill or save. At the end, you learn of the story on why she became a prostitute. A lady shunned by her father because she was raped and impregnated by the city guards. The game also implies, through dialogue, that she may have also been sexually abused by her father. What this shows is that the team at CD Projeckt put a lot of thought and meaning into the roles that gender plays in this game. While other games such as Grand Theft Auto put very little thought and reason into its ok to over sexualise women with rape, bashing and murder, The Witcher is one those few games that stands out in terms of both character and story development. It shows that in comparison to other games, women are strong, fierce and independent, and are able to stand up for their beliefs, ideas and ideologies. Game 2: Dragon Age 2 Dragon Age 2 follows the adventure of Hawke, a refugee from the nation of Ferelden who has fled to Kirkwall. The game itself is a series of flashbacks from the captured dwarve Varric, an old companion of Hawkes. The game was released on PC and Xbox 360 in 2011 by EA but developed in-house by Bioware. As with all traditional Bioware games, it features rich dialog, expansive worlds, deep meaningful storyline as well as strong willed women. In fact, Bioware put a lot of thought and emphasis in the roles women play in this games (as well as their other games) universe. Five of your companions in Dragon Age 2 are female. Females are represented to be strong, decisive, intellectual, cunning and possibly evil, and do play a significant role in the outcome of the game. At the beginning Dragon Age 2, Varric exaggerates and describes Hawkes companions with overly large bosoms which raises the question, why did the game developers choose to do this? This could be seen as a way of enticing male players (as well as females) into the game by over sexualising women in this fashion. It is a good marketing ploy by Bioware as it engages players, particularly males, to progress through the game. The game also introduces many relationships that the player may choose to pursue. It does contribute to the story in some way but it fails to play a significant part. Rather, players can choose to remain friends with their female companions instead of actively sleeping with them; it does not affect the progress of the game. Compared to the original, sex scenes are dumbed down. This is due to several reasons, specifically censorship. Many would say, judging by the complaints on user review site Metacritic, that this potentially damaged the game by ruining parts of the story where sex does play a role. Taking out true romanticising made the game seem unrealistic and gave the appearance that adding female companions did seem as an afterthought by the game developers. Are we to believe that there were no sexual tensions between Hawke and his female companions? Compared to The Witcher, getting interment with your female companions was a simple task of building your friendship bar by agreeing with your companions rather than taking decisive decisions, handing over gifts and teasing/flirting with them. The Witcher made romance seem an integral part of the game whereas Dragon Age 2 fails on this, adding romance seem as an afterthought and having no real consequences. Yes, females did play an overly important ro le in Dragon Age 2 but the romancing seemed unnecessary and could have been left out as it plays very little, if any, part of the story. Game 3: Portal 2 Perhaps one of the better titles to be released by Valve, its a highly entertaining emotional rollercoaster ride, one that will give you high hopes and later crush them. Portal 2 features a fantastic, engaging, hilarious plot (and soundtrack) with many twists and turns. Ironically, this game forces you to think with portals as many levels will leave you shaking your head is disbelief when a puzzle that should theoretically only take 5 minutes takes you more than 15. It certainly leaves a satisfying feeling when completing a complex puzzle.  Released in 2011, this game stands out from the usual crowd. Featuring a female protagonist by the name of Chell and a few helpful (or not so helpful) robot companions, GLaDOS and Wheatley, you attempt to transverse yourself out of the Aperture Science lab testing facility. Chell is portrayed as a strong willed and intelligent woman. The game steers away from hypersexualising Chell by avoiding somewhat traditional Lara Croft style clothing i.e. skintight latex, overly short shorts and/or a tight hugging bikini. Instead, Chell is represented wearing a plain orange jump suit which is an unobtrusive representation of the female protagonist. Most players progress through the game unaware that they are assuming the role of a female. Players only catch a glimpse of Chell when looking through portals as well as other reflective materials such water and glass. Both GLaDOS and Wheatley are treated in a similar fashion where gender plays very little significance, mainly because they are bots although this does change in the latter part of the game. We can differentiate between the two by both voices and attitudes, but not by outside looks. The writers at Valve provide a very interesting balance of power between the three characters. Choosing to represent female conflict by using emotional forms of abuse whilst avoiding any form of physical contact remains true with the stereotypes about women; they are cunning creatures. While in the latter half of the game, Valve took a feministic approach totally changing the dynamics of the game in which both Chell and GLaDOS form a working relationship and team against the common enemy, Wheatley. Wheatley is the only male character in the game. He transforms GLaDOS into a potato and attempts to murder Chell. This portrays both control and dominance that can be seen as subjectify women, either in reality or in the virtual world. From a feminist point of view, this form of behaviour is exactly what makes women put aside their differences (something which males cant do) and team up against the common enemy, proving once and for all that women are the stronger of the two sexes. Chell and GLaDOS are the two perfect examples of the two sides of femininity; Chell the domestic icon whereas GLaDOs represents the progressive, intelligent working woman. By killing GLaDOS, Chell can be seen as the dutiful safe woman conquering the dangerous feminist (http://www.gamepro.com/article/features/218960/portal-s-glados-as-feminist-icon/) Game 4: Bulletstorm This is easily one of the most fun games Ive played in quite some time. The gameplay is just absolute effin amazing fun! Coupled with an engaging storyline and a hilarious script, this game is definitely a game that Ill be coming back to play just for pure entertainment. Although short, this game in no way becomes repetitive as your environment, enemies and weapons is ever changing. Get it for the singleplayer as multiplayer is completely consolised, meaning that, it uses a matchmaking system which takes forever to connect. The only positive I can take from it is that you can choose to play with friends. Its another game that Microsoft has again managed to ruin with their GFWL. Game 5: Hydrophobia: Prophecy Conclusion Sources http://arts.nationalpost.com/2011/04/19/qa-with-portal-2-writers-erik-wolpaw-and-jay-pinkerton/ http://www.popmatters.com/pm/post/140585-her-name-is-caroline-naming-the-misbehaving-woman-in-portal-2/ http://www.gamepro.com/article/features/218960/portal-s-glados-as-feminist-icon/

My Antonia :: essays research papers

My Antonia by Willa Cather Author: Willa Sibert Cather, Nebraska's most noted author was born in Virginia. At the age of ten she moved with her family to Webster County, Nebraska. Many of Cather's acquaintances and Red Cloud area scenes can be recognized in her writings.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Cather wrote poetry, short stories, essays and novels, winning many awards. In 1920 she won the Pulitzer Prize for her novel One of Ours, about a Nebraska farm boy who went off to World War I.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Willa Cather's reputation as one of America's finest novelists rests on her novels about Nebraska and the American Southwest. These novels express her deep love of the land and her distaste for the materialism and conformism of modern life.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Devoted to values such as the importance of family and the need for human courage and dignity, she created strong female characters whose sort of strength and determination had previously been attributed to only men.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  My Antonia, one of Cather's best works, is an unconventional, romantic novel of prairie life. It tells the story of a remarkable woman whose strength and passion epitomize the pioneer spirit. Characters:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Jim Burden - The man narrating the story.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Antonia Shimerda -The daughter of Bohemian immigrants and the heroine of the   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  story.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ambrosch Shimerda - Antonia's mean brother   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Marek Shimerda -Antonia's mentally disabled brother.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Yulka Shimerda - Antonia's younger sister.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Mr. and Mrs. Shimerda - Antonia's gently father who committed suicide, and her   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  bitter, complaining mother.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Larry Donovan - The man Antonia thought was going to marry her.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Lena Lingard - A girl that Jim grew up with and was successful.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Anton Cuzak - Antonia's husband. The Book   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The book begins with an introduction. In the introduction it tells about James Quale Burden (Jim Burden) and how the story came to be written. The introduction is written by a woman who is an old friend to Jim and who grew up in the same Nebraska town as he did. They are both now living in New York where Jim is a successful lawyer.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  She tells about Jim's wife, Genevieve, who she does not like, and doesn't think she is well suited for Jim. They start talking about Antonia, who they both knew and admired, and wondering why something wasn't written about her. Months later, Jim brings her what he had written and She writes the narrative as Jim had written it.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The story begins with ten year old Jim Burden traveling from Virginia to Nebraska to live with his grandparents after losing his parents.

Solubilities Within a Family Lab Report

Purpose/Objective The purpose of this experiment is to identify the periodic trends in the solubility of the alkaline earth metals and compare the results to that of lead Materials 1. Pencil 2. Lab notebook 3. 5 small test tubes 4. Droppers Chemicals 1. 0. 2 M Mg(NO3)2 2. 0. 2 M Ca(NO3)2 3. 0. 2 M Sr(NO3)2 4. 0. 2 M Ba(NO3)2 5. 0. 2 M Pb(NO3)2 6. 1 M NaOH 7. 0. 2 M NaBr 8. 0. 2 M NaI 9. 0. 2 M Na2SO4 10. 0. 1 M Na2CO3 11. 0. 2 M Na2C2O4 12. 1 M NaCl Data and Results Mg(NO3)2Ca(NO3)2Sr(NO3)2Ba(NO3)2Pb(NO3)2 NaOHCloudyMilkyCloudyCloudyMilky NaClNo reactionNo reactionNo reactionNo reactionPowder NaBrNo reactionNo reactionNo reactionNo reactionCloudy NaINo reactionNo reactionNo reactionCloudyBright Yellow Na2SO4No reactionNo reactionWhite, yogurt-likeMilkyMilky Na2CO3MilkyMilkyPowderWhite, cotton-likePowder Na2C2O4No reactionMilkyMilkyPowderPowder Sample Calculations None ? Discussion and Comments This experiment tested the theory that the elements in the periodic table are arranged in a manner in which the elements of a group share similar chemical properties. The elements we used were the ones from the alkaline earth metal group. These elements tend to form 2+ cations and are very reactive. We also compared these elements to that of lead because lead also forms a 2+ cation. We used the chemical property of solubility to observe the periodic trends of the alkaline earth metals. As a general rule, reactivity increases as you move down a group in the periodic table. This means in regards to solubility that the more you farther you move down the group the more insoluble the element is when combined with hydroxides, chlorides, bromides, iodides, sulfates, carbonates, and oxalates. My results were consistent with this theory in that the mixtures went from no reaction to forming a precipitate or from forming a light precipitate to a heavy one as the elements moved down the periodic table. The precipitates that were formed gradually changed from a cloudy or milky mixture to a heavy solid precipitate that would settle on the bottom of the test tube. In some instances lead reacted very similarly with the alkaline earth metal but very different in the other reactions such as with iodide. This is due to lead’s position on the periodic table as compared to those of the alkaline earth metals. The position on the periodic table correlates to an element’s atomic radius, ionization energy, and electron affinity. All of these properties affect an element’s chemical properties such as solubility. A systematic error occurred during my experiment when I observed a reaction between barium and iodide. There should have been no reaction. This error is probably the result of using a test tube that was not cleaned properly prior to combining Ba(NO3)2 with NaI. This experiment reinforced the concepts introduced in Chapter 8 of our textbook. Pre-Lab Questions 1. The names and symbols of the alkaline earth metals encountered in this experiment are: a. Magnesium – Mg b. Barium – Ba c. Strontium – Sr d. Calcium – Ca 2. a. The general electron configuration of the alkaline earth metals is [Noble gas]ns2. b. The electron configuration for lead, Pb, is [Xe]6s25d104f146p2. c. All the formulas of the oxides formed by the alkaline earth metals and lead have the general formula of RO. 3. The general formulas for the following compounds with alkaline earth metals or lead: a. RSO4 b. RCl2 c. RCO3 d. RI2 e. RBr2 f. RC2O4 g. R(OH)2 h. R(NO3)2 i. RCrO4 4. The general method that was used to examine qualitative solubilities in this experiment is observation. Post Lab Questions 1. The solubility of the alkaline earth metals with hydroxides increases as you move down the group; soluble with halides; with sulfates, carbonates and oxalates decreases as you move down the group down the group. 2. The solubilities between alkaline earth metals and lead with NaOH are similar ecause all of the reactions were either cloudy or milky. The solubilities between alkaline earth metals and lead with NaCl are different because all of the alkaline earth metals are soluble but lead is not. The solubilities between alkaline earth metals and lead with NaBr are different because all of the alkaline earth metals are soluble but lead is not. The solubilities between alkaline earth metals and lead with iodide are different because all of the alkaline earth metals are soluble but lead is not soluble and formed a bright yellow precipitate. The solubilities of Mg and Ca with SO4 are different because they are soluble but lead is not and solubilities of Sr and Ba are similar to lead. The solubilities between alkaline earth metals and lead with CO3 are similar since all of compounds form some sort of a white precipitate. The solubility of Mg with C2O4 is different from lead because it is soluble but lead is not and solubilities of rest of alkaline earth metals are similar because they all form some sort of white precipitate. . The solubilities of the alkaline earth metals and that of lead may differ markedly due to their respective electron configurations. The alkaline earth metals like to give up two electrons from their outer shell and form cations because by doing so their electron configuration becomes isoelectronic with the closest noble gas. Lead looses its to electrons from the 6p suborbital. Resources Chang, R. (2010). Chemistry: 10th Edition. New York, NY: McGraw Hill.

Thylacoleo (Marsupial Lion) - Facts and Figures

Thylacoleo (Marsupial Lion) - Facts and Figures Name: Thylacoleo (Greek for marsupial lion); pronounced THIGH-lah-co-LEE-oh Habitat: Plains of Australia Historical Epoch: Pleistocene-Modern (2 million-40,000 years ago) Size and Weight: About five feet long and 200 pounds Diet: Meat Distinguishing Characteristics: Leopard-like body; powerful jaws with sharp teeth About Thylacoleo (the Marsupial Lion) Its a commonly held misconception that that the giant wombats, kangaroos and koala bears of Pleistocene Australia were only able to prosper thanks to the lack of any natural predators. However, a quick glance at Thylacoleo (also known as the Marsupial Lion) puts the lie to this myth; this nimble, large-fanged, heavily built carnivore was every bit as dangerous as a modern lion or leopard, and pound-for-pound it possessed the most powerful bite of any animal in its weigh classwhether bird, dinosaur, crocodile or mammal. (By the way, Thylacoleo occupied a different evolutionary branch from saber-toothed cats, exemplified by the North American Smilodon.) See a slideshow of 10 Recently Extinct Lions and Tigers As the largest mammalian predator in an Australian landscape teeming with oversized, plant-eating marsupials, the 200-pound Marsupial Lion must have lived high on the hog (if youll forgive the mixed metaphor). Some paleontologists believe that Thylacoleos unique anatomyincluding its long, retractable claws, semi-opposable thumbs and heavily muscled forelimbsenabled it to pounce on its victims, quickly disembowel them, and then drag their bloody carcasses high up into the branches of trees, where it could feast at its leisure unmolested by smaller, peskier scavengers. One odd feature of Thylacoleo, albeit one that makes perfect sense given its Australian habitat, was its unusually powerful tail, as evidenced by the shape and arrangement of its caudal vertebrae (and, presumably, the muscles attached to them). The ancestral kangaroos that coexisted with the Marsupial Lion also possessed strong tails, which they could use to balance themselves on their hind feet while warding off predatorsso its not inconceivable that Thylacoleo could tussle for short periods on its two hind feet, like an oversized tabby cat, especially if a tasty dinner was at stake. As intimidating as it was, Thylacoleo may not have been the apex predator of Pleistocene Australiasome paleontologists claim that honor belongs to Megalania, the Giant Monitor Lizard, or even the plus-sized crocodile Quinkana, both of which may have occasionally hunted (or been hunted by) the Marsupial Lion. In any case, Thylacoleo exited the history books about 40,000 years ago, when the earliest human settlers of Australia hunted its gentle, unsuspecting, herbivorous prey to extinction, and even sometimes targeted this powerful predator directly when they were especially hungry or aggravated (a scenario attested to by recently discovered cave paintings).