Tasmanian Devil (Sarcophilus harrisii): a carnivorous marsupial of the family Dasyuridae.
Kingdom: | Animalia
Phylum: | Chordata
Class: | Mammalia
Order: | Dasyuromorphia
Family: | Dasyuridae
Genus: | Sarcophilus
Species: | S. harrisii
Size and Weight:
Tasmanian devils are the largest carnivorous marsupials. They typically weigh 9 to 26 pounds and measure 20 to 31 inches in body length, excluding their bushy tail.
Appearance:
Tasmanian devils are robust, muscular marsupials with a distinctive appearance. These marsupials have stocky bodies with thick, bushy tails. Their fur is mainly black, often with white patches on their chest and rump. Their head is broad and square-shaped with large, rounded ears. They possess a strong jaw and sharp teeth, including large molars adapted for crushing bones and tearing flesh. Their bite force is among the strongest relative to body size in any mammal. They have strong, clawed paws that are well-suited for digging and climbing.
Diet:
Tasmanian devils are the top carnivores in Tasmania. These carnivorous marsupials maintain a home range that varies depending on food availability. They may travel long distances, up to 10 miles, each night in search of food. As scavengers, their diet includes carrion, but they may also hunt live prey such as small mammals and birds. They have a strong, powerful bite and can eat almost every part of their prey, including bones and fur.
Habitat:
Tasmanian devils inhabit a variety of environments across Tasmania. Their habitats include forests, woodlands, coastal scrubland, and agricultural areas. Tasmanian devils create dens for shelter and raising their young. They often choose hollow logs, burrows, or rocky crevices. They might also occupy old wombat burrows or other natural cavities.
Geography:
As their name suggests, Tasmanian devils are native to Tasmania, an island state of Australia. They once roamed Australia’s mainland but lost ground when dingos were introduced.
Breeding:
The Tasmanian devil breeding season occurs between March and May. Their courtship rituals involve vocalizations and physical interactions. Male devils may engage in vocal duels and display aggressive behaviors to establish dominance and attract mates. Once a pair has formed, they will mate multiple times over several days. After mating, the female’s pregnancy lasts about 21 days. This short gestation period results in the birth of very undeveloped young.
A mother Tasmanian devil gives birth to a litter of about 50 tiny babies, called imps, which are pink and hairless. The imps must race a distance of about 3 inches from the birth canal to the mother’s rear-facing pouch, where they compete to attach themselves to one of only four available teats. Only those four imps will have a chance to grow and survive. For about 100 days, the imps cannot relax their hold on a teat. During this time, they are often dragged along underneath their mother as she travels while still attached to her nipples.
After this period, the imps begin venturing out of the pouch and exploring the outside world for short periods. They may ride on their mother’s back or stay in the den while she hunts. They return to the pouch for safety and feeding until they are fully weaned, which happens around 6 months, and they become fully independent at around nine months.
Social Structure:
They are solitary animals but can come together at feeding sites. At these group feeding sessions, they they tend to be the most noisy. To communicate, they use loud, raspy vocalizations and growls. They are nocturnal, meaning they are most active at night. During the day, they rest in dens or hollow logs.
Lifespan:
In the wild, Tasmanian devils typically live around 5 to 6 years. In captivity, they can live 8 to 10 years.
Threats:
Threats to Tasmanian devils include attacks by domestic dogs and foxes, vehicle collisions, habitat loss and disease. The Tasmanian wedge-tailed eagle is the largest predator in their ecosystem, which competes for food with scavenging devils.
Their newest threat is Devil Facial Tumor Disease (DFTD), which is a rare, contagious cancer found only in devils. DFTD was first detected in 1996 and has drastically reduced their numbers over the past few decades. It is transmitted from one individual to another through biting, a common behavior among devils when mating and feeding. It kills all infected devils within 6 to 12 months, and there is no known cure or vaccine. Research to develop a cure is ongoing.
Conservation Status:
The Tasmanian devil is classified as Endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
Source: San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance and the Australian Museum.
