The Tasmania Devil

The Tasmanian devil is a marsupial – an animal that feeds and carries its young in a pouch. It lives only in Tasmania and was called a devil by the early European settlers because of its fierce appearance and loud screeching.
The devil is the same size as a small dog. It has a large head, a stocky body and a short, thick tail. While the fur is mostly black, there are often white markings on the back and chest. Because the devil is a nocturnal animal (it is active at night), it spends the days in the dense bush and hunts for food after dark.
While it can catch prey the size of a small wallaby the devil often feeds on the bodies of dead sheep and cows from farms. Its very powerful jaws and teeth enable it to eat bones and fur as well as the meat. Farmers are pleased that devils stop the spread of disease by removing the rotting bodies of dead animals. Groups of devils eat together from the same carcass – body of a dead animal – and they are such noisy eaters that they can be heard for several kilometers.
Devils breed in March and the young are born in April. While more are born, only two or three babies survive to live in their mother’s pouch for four months. They move with their mother into a whole or a hollow log until they are ready to live on their own in the bush at the end of December. Devils live until they are seven or eight years old.
Recently adult devils have been affected by cancer. This begins with lumps around the mouth and spreads to the face and neck. Scientists are studying the cancers so they can find out the cause and save the devil populationa in Tasmania.