Tasmanian Devil

## Description

The Tasmanian devil (Sarcophilus harrisii ) (palawa kani: purinina) is a carnivorous marsupial of the family Dasyuridae. Until recently, it was only found on the island state of Tasmania, but it has been reintroduced to New South Wales in mainland Australia, with a small breeding population. The size of a small dog, the Tasmanian devil became the largest carnivorous marsupial in the world, following the extinction of the thylacine in 1936. It is related to quolls, and distantly related to the thylacine. It is characterised by its stocky and muscular build, black fur, pungent odour, extremely loud and disturbing screech, keen sense of smell, and ferocity when feeding. The Tasmanian devil's large head and neck allow it to generate among the strongest bites per unit body mass of any extant predatory land mammal. It hunts prey and scavenges on carrion.

Although devils are usually solitary, they sometimes eat and defecate together in a communal location. Unlike most other dasyurids, the devil thermoregulates effectively, and is active during the middle of the day without overheating. Despite its rotund appearance, it is capable of surprising speed and endurance, and can climb trees and swim across rivers. Devils are not monogamous. Males fight one another for females, and guard their partners to prevent female infidelity. Females can ovulate three times in as many weeks during the mating season, and 80% of two-year-old females are seen to be pregnant during the annual mating season.

Females average four breeding seasons in their life, and give birth to 20 to 30 live young after three weeks' gestation. The newborn are pink, lack fur, have indistinct facial features, and weigh around 0.20 g (0.0071 oz) at birth. As there are only four nipples in the pouch, competition is fierce, and few newborns survive. The young grow rapidly, and are ejected from the pouch after around 100 days, weighing roughly 200 g (7.1 oz). The young become independent after around nine months.

In 1941, devils became officially protected. Since the late 1990s, the devil facial tumour disease (DFTD) has drastically reduced the population and now threatens the survival of the species, which in 2008 was declared to be endangered. Starting in 2013, Tasmanian devils are again being sent to zoos around the world as part of the Australian government's Save the Tasmanian Devil Program. The devil is an iconic symbol of Tasmania and many organisations, groups and products associated with the state use the animal in their logos. It is seen as an important attractor of tourists to Tasmania and has come to worldwide attention through the *Looney Tunes* character of the same name.

## Appearance

In the prehistoric period, these animals were widely distributed throughout mainland Australia. Today, however, the Tasmanian devil is merely a symbol of Tasmania. The Tasmanian devil is a well-known, small marsupial the size of a small dog. The species is so called by the early European settlers due to its overall black coloration, bad temper, and the terrifying screeching sounds it emits. And indeed, this marsupial often has aggressive behavior and is commonly known for its spine-chilling calls. Moreover, this animal has extremely strong jaws and teeth, allowing it to totally destroy its meal, including bones and fur.

## Distribution

The original range of this species covered much of mainland Australia. Presently, the Tasmanian devil is endemic exclusively to Tasmania, where it inhabits a wide variety of habitats. The preferred habitats, however, are dry eucalypt forests, open woodlands, shrubland as well as agricultural lands.

## Behavior

Tasmanian devils are usually solitary, socializing only when feeding and mating. They are known to gather in feeding groups, usually at carrion. When this happens, the animals display highly aggressive behavior, although they are non-territorial. During the daytime hours, they typically sunbathe or shelter in dense bushes or dens, which are either underground burrows or hollow logs. They come out of their dens only during the night in order to feed. Although this clumsy animal moves around with a characteristic loping gait, it's able to travel long distances of up to 16 km per night. Tasmanian devils possess well-developed senses of hearing, sight, smell, taste, and touch. These animals communicate with each other through a wide variety of vocalizations such as the well-known horrifying screeches and fierce growls. They are also known to use some physical gestures, including yawning and tail-raising.

## Diet

As opportunistic feeders, these carnivorous marsupials may consume nearly any type of food from frogs, birds and fish to small mammals and reptiles. It’s known that they more eagerly feed upon occasional carrion that hunt live prey.

## Reproduction

Tasmanian devils are polygynandrous (promiscuous), which means that both males and females have multiple mates. They usually mate in March, producing offspring in April. The gestation period lasts for 21 days, yielding a litter of 2-3 babies, which climb into the pouch of their mother, living there for the first 4 months of their lives. Then they start coming out of the pouch, moving to the den after a while. Weaning occurs at 5-6 months old, whereas independence is reached by 8 months old. The age of reproductive maturity for this species is 2 years old.

## Population

### Population threats

Since 2001, these animals have lost about 60% of their total population because of cancer known as 'devil facial tumor disease' (DFTD). Currently, DFTD occupies more than 60% of the current range of the Tasmanian devil. In some populations, up to 83% of adult individuals are infected by DFTD. On the other hand, these marsupials compete with introduced red fox for food, habitat, and den sites. And finally, these Endangered animals are highly threatened by road accidents and persecution by farmers, who consider the Tasmanian devil a pest species.

### Population number

According to the IUCN Red List, the total population of Tasmanian devils is around 10,000-25,000 mature individuals. Specific populations have been estimated in the following areas: North-Western Tasmania - 3,000 and 12,500 mature individuals; Eastern/South-western Tasmania - 7,000 - 12,500 mature individuals. Overall, Tasmanian devils’ numbers are decreasing today, and currently, these animals are classified as Endangered (EN) on the IUCN Red List.

### Ecological niche

The Tasmanian devil is a key predator in its range. In fact, this animal is the second largest native terrestrial predator in the area only to the Tasmanian wolf. The Tasmanian devil can truly be called the 'vacuum cleaner' of its habitat, since the animal generally prefers feeding upon carrion, thus maintaining the health of the local ecosystem.

## Fun Facts for Kids

The Tasmanian devil belongs to the genus of harrisii. In 1808, George Harris, a surveyor, and naturalist was first to describe this species in science journals.

The well-known 'Loony Tunes' cartoon character 'Taz' is a Tasmanian devil.

This species serves as the symbol of the National Parks and Wildlife Service of Tasmania.

Despite its small size, this marsupial, in fact, has one of the strongest bites of all the world's animals due to its powerful, muscular jaws.

The tail of this animal is used as storage of extra fat.

In spite of being very clumsy on the ground, these marsupials are amazingly excellent climbers when in trees.

The genus name of this species is “Sarcophilus”, meaning 'meat-loving': this is a combination of the Greek words “sarx” or “sarkos” (flesh) and “philos” (beloved, dear, loving).

Because of the extremely strong teeth and the nosy scavenging habits, this animal is nicknamed the Australian hyena.

The hind legs of the Tasmanian devil are shorter than the forelegs.

When gathering into feeding groups, these animals are extremely noisy, raising a stink that is heard at a distance of several kilometers.