Devil In The Sun (Enclosure) by TheBootesArtVoid on DeviantArt (original) (raw)

Species Name: Tasmanian Devil

Species Latin Name: Sarcophilus harrisii

Also Known As: Purinina

Native To: Tasmania in Australia

Conservation Status: Endangered

Size (length): 52-80cm (20.5 – 31.5 inches)

Size (Height): 30cm (11.8 inches)

Tail Length: 24-25cm (9.5 – 9.8 inches)

Weight: 4-12kg (8.8 – 26.5 pounds)

Top Speed: 24km/h (14.9 miles)

Lifespan: 5-8 years

Population Size: 10-25 thousand

Description:

Tasmanian Devils are about the size of a small dog, they have black fur throughout most their bodies with the exception of irregular white patches/strips. Though most of these animals will have these white strips/patches there are some Tasmanian Devils that completely lack this white colouration. They have a squat, thick build with a tail about the half the length of its body. Their forelegs are slightly larger than their hind legs which is unusual for a marsupial species. The females are generally smaller then the male Tasmanian Devils. They have large ears, dark eyes and large pointed sharp teeth that they use to crush even bone.

Diet:

These animals are entirely opportunistic with the food that they consume and as such they tend to be omnivores with a preference for meat. They can take prey up to the size of a small kangaroo but their favourite prey would be that of the wombat due to their ease of predation and high fat content. These animals will eat anything ranging from small mammals and marsupials to fish, fruit, vegetable matter, insects, tadpoles, frogs, and reptiles.

Although the Tasmanian Devil can hunt other much larger prey it tends to be more opportunistic as mentioned before. This means that the Tasmanian Devil is much more likely to scavenge for food and eat carrion of already dead animals than eat live animals. The Tasmanian Devil will eat about 15% of its body weight on a daily basis as they use their powerful jaws and teeth to crush and eat animal carcasses entirely not leaving anything behind.

Behaviour:

These animals are polygynandrous which means that they are promiscuous and will tend to have multiple mating partners. Mating will usually occur in the month of March, the female will then give birth to 2-3 babies in the month of April after 21 days of pregnancy. After being born the babies will crawl into their mothers pouch where they will remain for the first 4 months of their life. The babies will reach maturity after 8 months of birth and will reach sexual maturity after 2 years. The babies are referred to as pups, joeys, or imps.

Threats:

The Tasmanian Devil used to be widespread across both the island state of Tasmania as well as mainland Australia. However for quite some time this animal cannot be found in the wild any longer in mainland Australia. It appears that the exact cause for their disappearance from the mainland isn't known it is believed that multiple factors played a role in this. With the introduction of the aboriginal people as well as wild dingoes over 10,000 years ago it is believed predation played a roll. It is also believed that a changing climate may have also contributed to the animals numbers in general not just the mainland.

When the European settlers first came to Tasmania they feared that the animal would prey on their introduced livestock. This prompted a long campaign of culling which involved various traps and poisons which nearly bought the Tasmanian Devil to extinction. The culling campaign did end up causing the extinction of the Thylacine (Tasmanian Tiger) in 1936, this extinction event lead to the Tasmanian Devil coming under protection 1941. That said trapping and poisoning persisted well into the 1990's. The Tasmanian Devil was also culled in the 90's out of fear of a highly infectious disease the animals would contract. At first the fear was that the disease may spread to humans but there was also the fear that the disease may actually threaten the species. It was later deemed that culling the infected animals would not contribute to the animals numbers enough to justify further culling.

Devil Facial Tumour Disease (DFTD) is a transmissible cancer that is spread between one Tasmanian Devil to another. It has ravaged the population between 20% to 80% of the population since it was first seen in 1996. Since 1996 over 65% of the state of Tasmania has been impacted by this disease. The disease causes tumours to grow around the Tasmanian Devils mouth and face, the tumours grow to such an extent that it interferes with feeding which can lead to death by starvation. The disease seems to be more easily transmitted among the more dominant members of the animal species as they are more prone to biting other Tasmanian Devils.

Due to the modernization of the country the Tasmanian Devil has become rather vulnerable to road fatalities. The fatalities are more prominant on sealed roads where the speed limit is much higher than unsealed roads. Furthermore due to the animals feeding habits the Tasmanian Devil becomes vulnerable to being run over when they try to scavenge roadkill off the road. It is believed by some that the colour of the fur of the Tasmanian Devil also makes it particularly difficult to see especially at night.

The development of land and agriculture has also contributed to the reduction of the animals numbers. During the development of land the underground burrows of the Tasmanian Devil can end up being destroyed. This can cause disruptions to the breeding cycle where the female will need to carry her young to a new location which makes the young vulnerable to various threats.

Conservation:

Until recently the Tasmanian Devil was only able to be found in the wild in the island state of Tasmania, the animal has recently been released in the wild in the Australian state of New South Whales as part of a small breeding program. Throughout Tasmania as well as mainland Australia many of these animals are kept in captivity in various sanctuaries and zoo's as part of various breeding programs.

Great efforts have been made to combat the infectious DFTD disease that has ravaged the animals numbers. Various monitoring programs have been set up where non-lethal traps are set up to capture devils in order to monitor the area they live in to confirm if a case of DFTD comes up. Great efforts have been made to isolate areas that are impacted by the infectious disease and separate them from areas that have yet to be impacted by the disease. In march 2017 the University of Tasmania presented an initial report which indicated the first case of the disease being cured, Although it appears further research will be required.

Efforts have been made to alter various laws with the hope of further assist with stabilizing the numbers of the Tasmanian Devil. These attempts include traffic slowing measures, man-made pathways that offer alternate routes for the animals, various education programs, and the installation of reflectors to indicate oncoming traffic all appear to have assisted in reducing instances of these animals being hit by cars. Conservation volunteers have further contributed significantly in reducing the instances of road deaths by removing road kill from the roads to reduce the likelihood of the Tasmanian Devil coming onto the road in the first place.

Further Reading (general information):

Wikipedia: Tasmanian devil - Wikipedia

Department Of Natural Resources And Environment Tasmania: Tasmanian Devil Facts for Kids | Department of Natural Resources and Environment Tasmania (nre.tas.gov.au)

Kidadl: Did You Know? Terrific Tasmanian Devil Facts (kidadl.com)

Animalia: Tasmanian Devil - Facts, Diet, Habitat & Pictures on Animalia.bio

Australian Museum: Tasmanian Devil - The Australian Museum

Further Reading (Conservation)

Save The Tasmanian Devil Program: Save the Tasmanian Devil Program | Department of Natural Resources and Environment Tasmania (nre.tas.gov.au)

Devil Ark: DEVIL ARK - Aussie Ark

Zoo's South Australia: Tasmanian Devil Conservation Program Zoos South Australia (zoossa.com.au)

Threatened Species Link: Tasmanian Devil - Threatened Species Link

Ballarat Wildlife Park: Tasmanian Devil Conservation - Ballarat Wildlife Park