Tasmanian Devils

A Tasmanian devil can eat about 15% of its body weight a day, but it will eat up to 40% of its body weight in 30 minutes if the chance arises.

Tasmanian devils have 42 teeth. These teeth keep growing, and are not replaced during a Tasmanian devil's lifespan, so this marsupial has just one set of teeth through its lifetime. However, the teeth do wear down, and by about 5 years old, the degeneration of the teeth can impact upon the Tasmanian devil's ability to hunt and compete with others for food.

They may be dangerous when provoked and can cause bites and wounds to an adult human but are not critically dangerous. They are mostly scavengers and do not attack prey that is larger than young Kangaroos.

Tasmanian devils, despite their reputation, are actually timid and shy creatures which would rather hide from people than confront them. They never attack people, but will certainly defend themselves, and they have exceptionally powerful jaws.

Tasmanian devils feed on carrion (the remains of dead animals) as well as live prey. In this way, they help to clean up the environment. A scavenger is an animal that is an opportunistic feeder, taking the opportunity to feed on any meat that comes its way, dead or alive.

The Tasmanian Devil (Sarcophilus harrisii) was hunted almost to extinction due to its threat to livestock such as sheep and poultry. They were protected by law before it was too late in June 1941 from where their numbers recovered sufficiently for them to be classified as "secure". During the 1990s, they were listed as "vulnerable". More recently, they are threatened by a fatal form of cancer called "Devil Facial Tumour Disease (DFTD)" which has killed more than 90% of adults in high density areas and 45% of adults in medium to low density areas. The Threatened Species Scientific Advisory Committee recommended moving the Tasmanian Devil up the "Endangered Species" list. It was officially listed as "endangered" in May 2008. 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.

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.

A number of people have named the monolith we now know as Devil's tower. The name it currently has was given in 1875 when the interpreter from Colonel Richard Irving Dodge's expedition misinterpreted native names for the landform as "Bad God's Tower." This became Devils Tower.

Since the time of European settlement in Australia, Tasmanian Devils have only been known to live in Tasmania, the island state of Australia located off the southeast coast of the continent.

No. Although both carnivorous mammals, this is where the similarity between Tasmanian devils and dingoes stops.

Tasmanian devils are marsupials, with a pouch in which they rear their young.

Dingoes are relative "newcomers" to Australia, and placental mammals.

Tasmanian devils are found only on the Australian island of Tasmania. The mother teaches her young by example, taking them with her on hunting expeditions. They often ride on her back for these outings. The father is not involved in the raising of the young.

Tasmanian devils do not harm humans in any way.

The Tasmanian devil performs the useful function of helping to keep the environment clean by eating carrion (dead animals). This limits the prevalence of flies and the possibility of diseases resulting from decaying flesh of other animals.

From about 1996, the Tasmanian Devil has been threatened by a fatal form of cancer called "Devil Facial Tumour Disease (DFTD)" which has killed more than 90% of adults in high density areas and 45% of adults in medium to low density areas resulting in an "Endangered" classification. Since then, the Threatened Species Scientific Advisory Committee has recommended moving the Tasmanian Devil up the "Endangered Species" list. 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.

Tasmanian devils breathe in the same way that humans do. The air travels through the mouth/nose, down the trachea, through the bronchi, through the bronchioles, and into the alveoli, which make up the lungs. In the alveoli, some of the oxygen in the air that was breathed in is given to the blood stream, and the air gains the carbon dioxide that the blood stream wants to get rid of. The new air travels backwards through the places that I wrote above and is breathed out the mouth.

When first born, Tasmanian devils are just the size of a bean, less than 2cm in length. They are pink, hairless, blind and completely unable to survive unless they are attached to one of the mother's teats inside the pouch.

Yes: a Tasmanian devil has a tail almost half the length of its body. For example, female Tasmanian devils have an average head and body length of 57 cm, with a tail of around 24.5 cm in length.

The Tasmanian Devil has an average body length of 55 - 90 cm (22 - 35 inches), which includes its short tail. Females are smaller, and do not usually exceed 80cm in length. Its height is only around 30 cm.

The Tasmanian Devil facial tumour disease (DFTD) is a fatal condition which causes cancers around the face and head of Tasmanian Devils. It first appears as small lesions and lumps around the animal's mouth which grow quite quickly, inhibiting the Devil's ability to feed. They slowly starve to death, whilst their their bodily functions gradually break down. It spreads from animal to animal through them biting each other, and given that this is natural behaviour for Devils, it means that the disease can quickly spread through a population.

Whilst there is no actual cure for the disease yet, scientists have identified the genetic marker that causes Tasmanian devils to be predisposed to the disease, and this will go a long way 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.

Yes and no: Tasmanian devils get their name from the blood-curdling screeching sounds they make when fighting over food and territory. However, it is not a high-pitched screech, but a loud, deep, throaty sound which is quite chilling in the middle of the night. Click on the related link, and the "vocalisation" to hear the sound. (The link does not always work.)

The Tasmanian Devils are strictly carnivorous, eating insects, small prey such as snakes, birds, fish and mammals up to the size of a wombat, and carrion (carcasses or dead animal bodies). The Tasmanian devil scavenges most of its food and will eat whatever is handy. They have very powerful jaws and teeth enabling them to totally devour their prey, bones, fur and all.

They are bot hunters and scavengers, and essentially opportunistic carrion eaters. They are at their most rowdy when fighting over a large carcass.

Tasmanian devils live in thick eucalyptus bushland or temperate forests in Tasmania, as long as there is sufficient undergrowth for them to hide. They can also be found in coastal heath and farmland.

The Tasmanian Devil is a carnivorous marsupial that is native to Tasmania, the island state of Australia located off the southeast coast of the continent. Fossil evidence incicates it was once found throughout the mainland of Australia. There are several theories as to its extinction from the mainland, but no definitive answer.