Tasmanian Devils

The Tasmanian devil, the largest living marsupial carnivore, earned its common name because of its blood-curdling nocturnal screams.

"Sarcophilus Harrisi," which means "Harris's flesh lover."

No.. the Tasmanian devil is simply just an animal in the regular food chain... Humans... however at the top of the food chain... which means humans should not be scared of tasmainian devils

The Tasmanian Devil is the largest carnivorous marsupial in Tasmania. Being at the top of the food chain, the Tasmanian devil has no native predators. Birds of prey are some danger to young Tasmanian Devils, but given that these creatures spend most of their time in dense bushland, there is little opportunity for hawks or kites to carry off young Tasmanian devils.

Introduced foxes (an unfortunate recent addition to Tasmania) and feral dogs may have a go at younger Devils, but are not considered a major threat.

yes Tasmanian devils are nice they're the one how try to keep us from littering in the first place

The Tasmanian Devil lives to about 6 years in the wild, but can live up to 8 years in captivity.

The Tasmanian devil is a marsupial so, like most (not all) marsupials, it has a pouch to protect its joeys while they are developing. The young joeys are born extremely undeveloped and must compete for a teat in the pouch. Tasmanian devils can actually give birth to up to 20 joeys at a time, but having only four teats, this means most of the young die.

Tasmanian devils are subject to a variety of cancers, but by far the worst one is the Devil Facial Tumour Disease. DFTD causes facial lesions which increase in size until the Tasmanian devil can no longer eat, and becomes susceptible to infections. DFTD has killed more than 90% of adults in high density areas and 45% of adults in medium to low density areas. At present, no Devils are being taken into captivity with existing captive animals in the hope that the current captive ones will be kept safe from the spread of this disease. The disease spreads through biting - and this is very common in Devils as they are natural fighters, battling tooth and claw for every morsel of food. Only the western third of Tasmania is currently free of the disease. 60% of the state is affected.

Currently there is no cure for the disease, and scientists estimate that unless the disease can be stopped in some way, Tasmanian Devils will be extinct within two decades. The Devils seem to be particularly vulnerable to this because of their genetic makeup: they have particularly low levels of genetic diversity and a chromosomal mutation which is unique among carnivorous mammals. It is hoped that, by studying this genetic makeup, scientists will be able to develop a vaccine and/or cure.

In January 2010, scientists isolated the genetic marker for the disease, and this is a big step towards finding a cure. Also, scientists have recently reported promising results in cancer cures from a drug manufactured from a certain type of brushwood in the North Queensland tropical rainforests. This has worked successfully in trials on cancerous tumours in cats, dogs and horses, and as well as being hoped to be a potential cure in human cancers, it is also hoped to be able to be used against DFTD. A number of groups have combined to fund, study, analyse and come up with a cure for DFTD. You can find out more about it or assist by going to the attached Web Page and selecting one of the options.

The Tasmanian Devil (Sarcophilus harrisii) is a carnivorous marsupial mammal that is native to Tasmania. It is a member of the group of animals known as Dasyurids, which simply means the carnivorous marsupials.

Tasmanian devils have dozens of tiny bumps on the rather large pads of their feet which appear to act as gripping pads. The friction created by the pads gives them better contact with surfaces for running. It gives the animal better speed and agility when in pursuit of prey.

Younger, lighter Tasmanian devils use the pads to help them climb, but they are not arboreal (tree-dwelling) creatures. It is believed that, because young devils are sometimes prey of larger ones, climbing trees helps them to escape.

The Tasmanian devil is not extinct and so does not need to be brought back. They do, however, need to be safeguarded for the future.

Scientists are breeding Tasmanian Devils in captivity to limit the spread of the Devil Facial Tumour Disease (DFTD). This disease is a great threat to Tasmanian devils living in the wild, affecting some two-thirds of the population. The Australian Government now has initiatives and programs set up to preserve the species. Tasmanian devils are being housed in captive breeding programmes, which should prevent the extinction of the marsupial, but not necessarily in the wild. In January 2010, a team of international scientists pinpointed the genetic marker that predisposes Tasmanian devils towards this fatal disease. With this knowledge, there is now a better chance of a cure, which would also stop the disease decimating the wild Tasmanian devil population.

it looks bony

All tough its is illegal to harm the Tasmanian devil heaps are killed on the road each year, but the main problem is their tumours. They can get these tumours on their faces which can harm them and also kill them.

Yes. Tasmanian devils do have sharp claws. The Tasmanian devil uses its sharp claws for climbing trees, and for defence. Their courtship is also an extensive ritual that lasts many days, and which involves the male biting and scratching the female into submission.

Yes: a human could outrun a Tasmanian devil. However, one would not be in a position to need to. Tasmanian devils are not aggressive hunters of humans.

it looks bony

Males grow to about 650 mm and 9 kg, females grow to 570 mm and 7 kg.

Tasmanian devils are carnivorous marsupials of Australia. They are nocturnal hunters, but they also scavenge carrion. Although they are very shy and will not confront a person, they can be very aggressive with their own kind when defending food or territory. One of their effective defence mechanisms is to emit a foul smelling odour.

Tasmanian devils live by preying on small mammals and birds, and scavenging carrion. They are nocturnal feeders. They hide in dense undergrowth and bushland, or they hide in caves and old wombat burrows.

they are black

• The Tasmanian devil is nocturnal, and an animal that prefers dense bushland shelter. Therefore, it has a black coat with white stripe provides excellent camouflage in both the night, and in dense bushland and undergrowth.
• Tasmanian devils can emit a pungent odor as a defence mechanism when threatened.
• Tasmanian devils have very strong jaws which they use for ripping open their prey and feeding on carrion.

From about 1996, the Tasmanian Devil has been threatened by a fatal form of cancer called "Devil Facial Tumour Disease (DFTD)" which has killed large numbers of Tasmanian devils, resulting in an "Endangered" classification. It was officially added to the Endangered species list early in 2009.