Like all marsupials, Devils store fat in their tails , which thicken up like humans' waistlines! Although Tasmanian Devils once thrived throughout Australia, now they are native only in the island state of Tasmania.
There, they have adapted very well to a variety of environments in Tasmania, from coasts to forests to even suburbs. So rather than environmental change, it's believed their extinction on Australia's mainland can be blamed on the arrival of dingoes — which never spread to Tasmania to threaten the Devils. It wasn't all smooth sailing for Tasmanian Devils in Tasmania, either.
Those settlers who christened the 'Devils' mistakenly believed they killed livestock a theory which has now been debunked and hunted and poisoned them nearly to extinction , until the government stepped in to protect them in the 's.
The Tasmanian Devil population rebounded, but today, they're in danger again. Not from angry farmers. Tasmanian Devils adapted to modern life, with these carrion eaters finding a new food source in the form of roadkill … except these black animals eating roadkill at night are invisible to oncoming traffic, and they, too are killed in great numbers on roads. In addition, a catastrophic facial tumor disease is spreading through the population.
The tumors build up in affected animals' mouths and stop them from eating, and they eventually starve to death. Tens of thousands of Tasmanian Devils have died since the disease appeared in the late 90's.
Since , Tasmanian Devils have been listed as endangered. Wildlife sanctuaries attempt to save and raise young in the pouches of mothers killed on the roads, and programs are isolating and breeding populations unaffected by disease. Devils are also being sent abroad to partner international zoos to contribute to population insurance programs for Tasmanian Devils too. You can see Tasmanian Devils in some zoos — but better yet, by visiting and supporting a sanctuary on their home turf in Tasmania.
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Home Things to do Animal encounters and wildlife experiences in Australia Fun facts about Tasmanian devils. Fun facts about Tasmanian Devils. Read next. More articles like this. Ok, I agree. You can now close this dialogue. Acknowledgement of Country. Read more. Change your region and language. Find us on. About this site. Privacy Policy. In older males, the head and neck can take up nearly a quarter of their weight.
That's because devils need those powerful jaws to crunch through bones. Like other marsupials, the devil stores fat in its tail so that its body has something to draw on when food gets scarce. So, if you see a Tasmanian devil with a fat tail, it means it is in good condition. The Tasmanian devil is a marsupial. Female marsupial animals have pouches in which they carry their young.
The pouch helps the Tasmanian devil mother to feed and protect newly born devils. There are four teats in the pouch, so she can look after four little devils at the same time. No, devils are not dangerous. They do not attack people, although they will defend themselves if they're attacked or trapped. Devils may look fierce but they will much rather escape than fight. However, devils have powerful jaws and when they do bite, they can cause serious injury.
Their Latin scientific name is Sarcophilus harrisii. That means Harris's meat lover. Harris is the name of the scientist who described the Tasmanian devil.
Devil history. The early European settlers of Hobart didn't like them, because the devils ate their chickens and they thought the devils would eat other farm animals too.
So, they hunted the devils. In the Van Diemen's Land Company put up a reward for every devil killed on their property. The reward was two shillings and sixpence 25 cents for a male devil and three shillings and sixpence 35 cents for a female.
For many years, Tasmanian devils were caught in traps and shot. They almost disappeared and some people thought devils would become extinct, like the Tasmanian tiger.
It was only in that laws protected the devils. The devil population increased again over the years, but there is now a new worry. Scientists are working hard to find a cure and the Save the Tasmanian Devil Program is working to save them from extinction. They certainly are. Devils play an important role, by eating sick and dead animals. They probably also help to control feral cats in Tasmania and, by doing so, they help to protect some of our native species, particularly birds. They can even help us control animals that do not belong in Tasmania - such as the red fox, an animal that is a big problem on the Australian mainland.
While there are many devils around, it is very difficult for foxes to breed in Tasmania. Fox dens are very smelly and quite messy, so devils can quickly sniff them out.
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