Tasmanian Devil Information

Appearance

• A Tasmanian devil looks similar to a small bear cub, but with a longer snout and a pointier head. The body is thickset, while the tail is short and thick. The fur is dark brown to black, with some white blotches or stripes at the chest. The sides might have light colored patches in the rear parts. The front legs are longer than the rear ones. Adult Tasmanian devils can weigh as much as 27 pounds, and stand 12 inches high. They can live five to eight years.

Breeding/Growth

• Tasmanian devils are marsupials and bear 20 to 30 young after a pregnancy of about three weeks. Mating might begin in March, and the young can be born around April. The raisin-size babies crawl to the pouch to suckle. They emerge after four months, becoming weaned two months after that. Because there are only four teats, typically fewer than four survive to be weanlings. Weanlings are left alone in the den--often a hollow log--while the parents feed. They become independent by the eighth month, and mature at age 2.

Diet

• As a carnivore, the Tasmanian devil is an opportunist feeder, taking anything it can find. Insects, reptiles, dead animals, birds and even sea squirts such as sea cucumbers are game for them. Tasmanian devils eat everything they can chew through, such as meat, hair, bones, fur and feathers. When several devils feast on a large carcass they can become quite noisy, a trait used for dominance during feeding. Their feeding behavior cleans up the environment by removing carrion where flies could breed.

History

• Fossils found throughout the continent indicate that Tasmanian devils existed in all of Australia before humans arrived. Remnants survive only on the island of Tasmania, hence the name. Dingoes are unable to cross the Bass Strait between the Australian mainland and Tasmania. Dingoes probably also decimated the Tasmanian tiger population on the mainland before the tigers' extinction.

  For a century people tried to eradicate Tasmanian devils, which were blamed for attacking poultry. Bounties were offered for killing them until protection was legislated in 1941.

  A more recent threat is devil facial tumor disease, in which tumors on the animal's face and mouth prevent it from eating and it dies of starvation. The Tasmanian devil is now a fully protected species.

Behavior

• Tasmanian devils are nocturnal, sleeping in their dens and hollows during the daytime. Although not territorial, they range within certain limits, ambling down defined paths in search of food or prey. If needed, they can gallop with speed, using hind legs much like other animals. They are known for their "yawn," which is a defense mannerism out of fear rather than aggression. The animal displays the formidable teeth only as scare tactic in defense. It can also give off a strong odor when under stress, but generally it does not excrete strong odor under normal circumstances.