The Tasmanian Devil

The Tasmanian Devil

The Tasmanian Devil, Sarcophilus harrisii, is about the size of a small to medium sized Dog. A large male can weigh up to about 12 kilograms (26 pounds).

Range

The Tasmanian Devil now only lives wild in Tasmania and some smaller islands. It used to live on the Mainland as well. They probably became extinct on the mainland about 400 years ago. This was before European settlement. Competition with feral Dingos may have been one of the causes of its extinction.

Largest Carnivorous Marsupial

The Tasmanian Devil is the biggest Marsupial Carnivore. This also means that it is the biggest carnivorous mammal native to Australia still in Existence. When Europeans first came to Australia, there was one Carnivorous Marsupial bigger. This was the Thylacine or Tasmanian Tiger. Of procedure there are bigger Carnivores in Australia. The biggest one is the badly named Salt Water Crocodile.

Scavenger

Although the Devil will no ifs ands or buts hunt, it is largely a scavenger. It does an leading job on farms, eating any dead animals. The very strong jaws allow it to eat all parts of the animal including the bones. If a large animal dies there can be a amount of these scavengers round the carcase development very alarming noises. Their natural prey includes Wallabies like the Tasmanian Pademelon. They will eat anyone animal they can catch or find like reptiles, birds, amphibians, insects and things washed up on the beach.

Endangered

For over a hundred years this animal, together with the Thylacine was shot, trapped and poisoned. The Thylacine is now probably extinct, and it appeared that the Devil was heading the same way. In 1941 it was given total protection under the law. The numbers steadily increased until the 1990's. Then they were struck by a devastating disease.

Devil Facial Tumour Disease

This fatal disease causes cancers on the animal's mouth, face, neck and sometimes other parts of the body. Where the devil citizen is high, as much as 90 percent of these animals are dying. In lower citizen density areas, the mortality rate is more like 50 percent. The numbers of this iconic animal are decreasing.

Foxes

Foxes have got to Tasmania. So far they are only gift at low densities, but if they are allowed to growth their corollary on the Devils is unknown, but potentially disastrous. On the mainland they have contributed to the extinction of many species.