Science & Technology

They use a foul smell to scare away predators.

Tasmanian devils are marsupials like kangaroos and koalas, the only large, carnivorous (meat-eating) marsupials alive today. They live exclusively on the Australian island of Tasmania, about 150 miles from the mainland, but at one time they were found throughout the continent. They are sometimes referred to as bear devils because they resemble black bears, although smaller in size. Their scientific name, Sarcophilus harrisii, is Greek, meaning flesh (sarco) and love (philis), which refers to their love of eating meat. Harrisii comes from the man who first published literature describing them, George Harris.

The Evolution of the Tasmanian Devil

Once wandering the whole of the Australian mainland, Tasmanian devils are now found only on the island of Tasmania. Due to changes in weather and habitat conditions, they became extinct on the mainland around 3,500 years ago. Devils are closely related to another Australian mammal called a quoll. Unlike devils, some quoll species also are found in New Guinea.

Appearance and Behavior of Tasmanian Devils

The animals’ resemblance to black bears is based on their similar dark fur and small round ears, although the Tasmanian devils are stockier, ranging between 20 and 30 inches in length and weighing in at 9 to 29 pounds. They almost always have a white strip of fur across their chests. These marsupials have excellent senses of sight and smell, with strong jaws that allow for a 94-pound bite force.

Rather solitary creatures, they spend most of their time alone except for when mating. They can be aggressive, especially while feeding, and they make loud and threatening noises to become dominant in the group. Another defense is a foul odor the mammals can release, much like a skunk, a stench that is meant to scare away predators.

Tasmanian devils like to make homes in dens, burrows, or hollow logs. The nocturnal mammals live in the forests and scrublands of Tasmania. They hide and sleep in their homes throughout the day and use the cover of night for safe hunting.

What Do Tasmanian Devils Like to Eat?

Tasmanian devils are known as environmental vacuums because they will eat almost anything and provide a cleaning service to the forest at the same time. Their teeth are made for grinding up bone, hair, and meat. So, they consume frogs, mice, rats, insects, birds, and carrion (dead flesh). Oddly, devils are the only marsupials that are carnivores; all the others are herbivores.

They have a demanding appetite, often eating up to 40% of their body weight during one feeding. So it is not surprising that a devil will travel up to 10 miles in search of food.

When the Stink Bomb Doesn’t Work

Although Tasmanian devils can produce a stink bomb, predators such as foxes and domesticated dogs may still win the fight. Many lose their lives to cars each year as they attempt to cross the road.

As with many other animal species, loss of habitat due to increasing farmland and infrastructure imperil their survival. Though classified as endangered, their population is safe for now, as they are protected by Tasmania’s Threatened Species Protection Act.

Imps or Joeys – All About the Baby Devils

The words imp and joey refer to a baby Tasmanian devil. When it is time for an adult to procreate, a female will leave her scent for the males to find. Several will fight to win the chance to mate with the female.

After being pregnant for about three weeks, females will move the babies from their womb to their pouch, where they will stay for the next 100 days or so. Once they grow too big, they cling to their mother’s body until it is time to be weaned, about four months. They stay in the den for another four months until they can be sent out on their own. Devils live to be about five years old in the wild.

It’s Not Just Looney – It’s Looney Tunes!

While it has been a while since Warner Bros. released the Looney Tunes and Merry Melodies cartoons beginning in 1930, many remember the famous Tasmanian devil character called Taz, noted for making unintelligible sounds and spinning into the scene like tornado. Extremely short-tempered, he would eat anything in his path and regularly grunt and growl, depicting a real Tasmanian devil.

Taz appeared only five times in the earlier shows, but he regained popularity when the cartoons became a hit again in the 1990s.

1. Tasmanian devils are the only large, carnivorous marsupials alive today.
2. They are found exclusively on the Australian island of Tasmania.
3. Marsupials are mammals that use pouches attached to their bodies to complete the development of their young.