Category

Space Science Earth Technology Notable Figures Branches of Science

Subcategory

Amphibians Arachnids Birds Cnidaria Crustaceans Dinosaurs Domestic Cat Breeds Domestic Dog Breeds Elements Fish Health Insects Mammalia Mathematics Mollusks Plants Reptiles Theories Tunicates

Articles

Aardvark Aardwolf Abert’s Squirrel Addax African Brush-tailed Porcupine African Buffalo African Bush Elephant African Civet African Clawless Otter African Forest Elephant African Leopard African Palm Civet African Pouched Rat (Emin’s Rat) African Striped Weasel African Wild Dog Agile Antechinus Allen's Swamp Monkey Alpine Marmot Amami Rabbit American Badger American Beaver American Bison American Black Bear American Marten American Mink American Pika American Water Shrew Amur Hedgehog Amur Leopard Amur Tiger (Siberian) Anatolian Leopard Andean Cat Angola Colobus Anoa Antarctic Fur Seal Antechinus Aquatic Genet Arabian Leopard Arabian Oryx Arabian Wolf Arctic fox Arctic Ground Squirrel Arctic Hare Arctic Wolf Argentine Grey Fox Asian Golden Cat Asian House Shrew Asian Palm Civet Asiatic Cheetah Asiatic Golden Cat Aurochs Australian Sea Lion Australian Snubfin Dolphin Babirusa or Pig-deer Bactrian camel Bald Uakari Bali Tiger Bamboo rat Banded Mongoose Banded Palm Civet Bandicoot Bangs’s Mountain Squirrel Banteng Barasingha Barbary Lion Barbary Macaque Barbary Sheep Barbastelle Bare-tailed Woolly Opossum Bat-eared Fox Bearded Pig Bearded Seal Beaver Beech Marten Beluga Whale Bengal Tiger Bharal (Himalayan Blue Sheep) Bilby Binturong Bioko Allen's Bushbaby Black Agouti Black Crested Gibbon Black Howler Black Lemur Black Lion Tamarin Black Rat Black Rhinoceros Black Wildebeest (White-tailed Gnu) Black-and-white Ruffed Lemur Black-backed Jackal Black-capped Squirrel Monkey Black-footed Cat Black-footed Ferret Black-footed Gray Langur Black-headed Spider Monkey Black-mantled Tamarin Black-striped Weasel Black-tailed Jackrabbit Black-tufted Marmoset Blackbuck Blesbok Blind mole rat Blue Duiker Blue Monkey Blue Whale Bluebuck (Blue Antelope) Boar Bobak Marmot Bobcat Bohor Reedbuck Bonnet Macaque Bonobo Bontebok Bornean Clouded Leopard Bornean Orangutan Borneo Pygmy Elephant Boto (Amazon River Dolphin or Pink River Dolphin) Botta’s Pocket Gopher Bottlenose Dolphin Bowhead Whale Brazilian Agouti Brazilian Porcupine Broad-faced Potoroo Brocket Deer Brown Antechinus Brown Four-eyed Opossum Brown Greater Galago Brown Hyena Brown Woolly Monkey Brown-throated Three-toed Sloth Brush Rabbit Bryde's Whale Bush Dog Bushbuck Bushpig Cacomistle California Ground Squirrel California Sea Lion Campbell’s Russian Dwarf Hamster Canada Lynx Cape Fox Cape Fur Seal Cape Hyrax (Rock Hyrax) Cape Lion Capybara Caracal Caribbean Monk Seal Cat Cattle Caucasian Squirrel (Persian Squirrel) Celebes Crested Macaque Central American Squirrel Monkey Chacma Baboon Chacoan Peccary Chamois Chinchilla Chinese Ferret Badger Chinese Goral Chinese hamster Chinese Mountain Cat Chinkara Chipmunk Chital Deer Cinereus Shrew Clouded Leopard Collared Peccary Colombian Weasel Colugo Commerson's Dolphin Common Chimpanzee Common dolphin Common Eland Common Genet Common House Mouse Common Kusimanse Common Marmoset Common Opossum Common Palm Civet Common Pipistrelle Common Spotted Cuscus Common Squirrel Monkey Common Treeshrew Coppery Titi Corsac Fox Cottontop Tamarin Coyote Coypu (Nutria) Crab-eating Fox Crab-eating Macaque Crawford's Gray Shrew Crescent Nail-tail Wallaby Crested Porcupine Crowned Lemur Cuban Solenodon Culpeo Dall Sheep Dall's Porpoise Dama Gazelle Daubenton's Bat Daurian Hedgehog De Brazza's Monkey Degu Desert Cottontail Desert Rat-kangaroo Desmarest’s Hutia Dhole Diana Monkey Dingiso Dingo Dog Domestic pig Domestic Sheep Dormouse Douglas Squirrel Drill Dunnart Dusky Dolphin Dwarf Mongoose Eastern Bettong Eastern Chipmunk Eastern Cottontail Eastern Fork-marked Lemur Eastern Gray Squirrel Eastern Lesser Bamboo Lemur Eastern Lowland Gorilla Eastern Spotted Skunk Eastern Timber Wolf Eastern Woolly Lemur Edible dormouse Egyptian Fruit Bat Egyptian Mongoose Egyptian Water Vole Eld’s Deer Emperor Tamarin Ethiopian Wolf Etruscan Shrew Eurasian Badger Eurasian Lynx Eurasian Pygmy Shrew Eurasian Water Shrew European Badger European Beaver European ground squirrel European Hamster European Hare European Mink European Mole European Otter European Polecat European Rabbit European Water Vole Falkland Island Fox Fallow Deer False Killer Whale Fat-tailed Dunnart Feathertail Glider Fennec Fin Whale Fisher Fishing Cat Flying squirrel Fossa Four-horned Antelope Four-toed hedgehog Fox Squirrel Fraser's Dolphin Ganges and Indus River Dolphin Garden dormouse Gaur Gee's Golden Langur Gelada Baboon Gemsbok (Gemsbuck) Geoffroy's Cat Geoffroy's Cat Geoffroy's Spider Monkey Gerbil Gerenuks Ghost Bat Giant Anteater Giant Eland Giant Kangaroo Rat Giant Otter Giant Pangolin Giant Sable Antelope Gilbert's Potoroo Giraffe Goeldi's Marmoset Golden Bamboo Lemur Golden Hamster Golden Jackal Golden Lion Tamarin Golden-bellied Capuchin Golden-headed Lion Tamarin Golden-mantled Ground Squirrel Golden-rumped Elephant Shrew Goodman's Mouse Lemur Gray Bat Gray Fox Gray Goral Gray Mouse Lemur Gray Short-tailed Opossum Gray Whale Gray Wolf Gray-bellied Night Monkey Greater Glider Greater Grison Greater White-toothed Shrew Green Acouchi Grey Rhebok Grey-cheeked Mangabey Grivet Grizzled Giant Squirrel Ground Pangolin Ground sloth Groundhog Guadalupe Fur Seal Guanaco Guinea Baboon Gundis Haig's Tuco-tuco Hairy-fronted muntjac Hamadryas Baboon Hamlyn's Monkey Harbor Porpoise Hartebeest Harvest Mouse Hawaiian Monk Seal Hazel Dormouse Hector's Dolphin Himalayan brown bear Himalayan Tahr Hippopotamus Hirola Hispaniolan Solenodon Hispid Cotton Rat Hoary Bat Hoary Marmot Hoffmann's Two-toed Sloth Hog Badger Hog Deer Honey Badger Hooded Skunk Hoolock Gibbon Horseshoe Bat Horsfield’s Tarsier Hucul (Carpathian Pony) Hugh's Hedgehog Humpback Whale Hutia Hyracotherium Iberian Lynx Impala Indian Elephant Indian Giant Squirrel Indian Hedgehog Indian Long-eared Hedgehog Indian Mongoose Indian muntjac Indian Pangolin Indian Porcupine Indian Rhinoceros Indian Sambar Indian Wolf Indochinese Tiger Island Fox Jaguar Jaguarundi Jamaican Coney Japanese Hare Japanese Macaque Japanese Serow Javan Lutung Jungle Cat Kangaroo Kermode Bear Key Deer Kiang Kinkajou Kirk’s Dik-dik Kit Fox Klipspringer Koala Kob Kodkod Konik Kowari Kri-kri Kultarr L'Hoest's Monkey Laotian rock rat Lar Gibbon Large Spotted Genet Leaf-nosed bat Least Chipmunk Least Weasel Lechwe Leopard Cat Leopard Seal Lesser Grison Lesser Hairy-footed Dunnart Lesser Kudu Lesser White-toothed Shrew Liger Linnaeus's Mouse Opossum Linnaeus's Two-toed Sloth Lion Lion-tailed Macaque Little Swan Island Hutia Long-eared Hedgehog Long-nosed Cusimanse Long-nosed Potoroo Long-tailed Weasel Madras Treeshrew Madras Treeshrew (Indian Treeshrew) Mahogany Glider Malagasy Giant Rat Malbrouck Mandrill Maned wolf Mantled Guereza Mantled Howler Marbled Cat Marbled Polecat Marco Polo Sheep Margay Markhor Marsh Deer Marsh Rice Rat Marsh Shrew Maxwell’s Duiker Mearns Coyote Meerkat Melon-headed Whale Mexican Gray Wolf Minke Whale Miss Waldron's Red Colobus Mona Monkey Mongolian Wild Ass Mongoose Lemur Monk Saki Moose Mouflon Mountain Beaver Mountain Gorilla Mountain Hare Mountain Reedbuck Mouse-like hamster Mule Deer Musk Ox Muskrat (Musquash) Musky Rat-kangaroo Naked Mole Rat Narrow-nosed Planigale Neotropical River Otter New England Cottontail New Zealand Fur Seal New Zealand Sea Lion Nilgai Nilgiri Langur Nilgiri Tahr Nine-banded Armadillo North American Brown Lemming North American Porcupine Northern Elephant Seal Northern Flying Squirrel Northern Fur Seal Northern Pika Northern Plains Gray Langur Northern Pocket Gopher Northern River Otter Northern Short-tailed Shrew Northern Treeshrew Norway Lemming (Norwegian Lemming) Numbat Nutria (Coypu) Nyala Ocelot Olive Baboon Olympic Marmot Onager Oncilla Orca Ord's Kangaroo Rat Oriental Small-clawed Otter Otter Civet Paca Pacific White-sided Dolphin Pale-throated Three-toed Sloth Pallas Cat Pallid bat Pampas Cat Pampas Deer Pampas Fox Pantropical Spotted Dolphin Parma Wallaby Parti-colored Bat (Rearmouse) Patagonian Mara Patas Monkey Père David's Deer Phascogale Philippine Tarsier Pied Tamarin Pig-footed Bandicoot Pilot whale Pine Marten Pink Fairy Armadillo Platypus Polar Bear Possum Prairie dog Prairie dog Preble’s Meadow Jumping Mouse Pudú Puerto Rican Nesophontes Puku Puma Pygmy Hippopotamus Pygmy Hog Pygmy Marmoset Pygmy Mouse Lemur (Peters’ Mouse Lemur) Pygmy Rabbit Pygmy Sperm Whale Pygmy Tarsier Pyrenean Ibex Quagga Quoll Raccoon Raccoon Dog Ratel (Honey Badger) Rüppell's Fox Red Brocket Red Deer Red Fox Red Panda Red River Hog Red Ruffed Lemur Red Slender Loris Red Wolf Red-bellied Lemur Red-bellied Titi Red-handed Tamarin Red-necked Pademelon Red-shanked Douc Red-tailed Sportive Lemur Reeves's Muntjac Reindeer Rhesus Macaque Rhim Gazelle (Slender-horned Gazelle or the Sand Gazelle) Richardson’s Ground Squirrel Right Whale Right whale dolphin Ring-tailed Lemur Ring-tailed Mongoose Ringtail Risso's Dolphin Roan Antelope Roborovski hamster Rock Cavy Rocky Mountain elk Roe Deer Rough-toothed Dolphin Round-tailed Ground Squirrel Rufous Rat-kangaroo Russian Desman Rusty-spotted Cat Sable Sable Antelope Saiga Sand cat Saola Scarlet Kingsnake Scimitar Oryx Scrub Hare Sea Otter Sechuran Fox Sei Whale Senegal Bushbaby Serotine Bat Serval Short-beaked Echidna Shrew-mole Siamang Siberian Chipmunk Siberian Mountain Weasel Siberian musk deer Side-striped Jackal Sika Deer Silky Anteater Silvery Gibbon Silvery Marmoset Sitatunga (Marshbuck) Six-banded Armadillo Slender-tailed Dunnart Sloth Bear Smoky Shrew Smooth-coated Otter Snow leopard Snowshoe Hare Somali Wild Ass South American Fur Seal South American Sea Lion South China Tiger Southern Dibbler Southern Flying Squirrel Southern Short-tailed Shrew Southern Tamandua Southern Three-banded Armadillo Southern White-breasted Hedgehog Southern-East Asian Wolf Sowerby's Beaked Whale Spectral Tarsier Sperm Whale Spinner Dolphin Spiny rat Spotted Hyena Springbok Springhare Squirrel Squirrel Glider Star-nosed Mole Steropodon Stoat Striped Dolphin Striped Hyena Striped Skunk Striped-faced Dunnart Striped-necked Mongoose Stump-tailed Macaque Sugar Glider Sumatran Orangutan Sumatran Rhinoceros Sumatran Striped Rabbit Sumatran Tiger Sun Bear Sunda Flying Lemur (Malayan Flying Lemur) Sunda Loris Sunda Pangolin Swamp Rabbit Swift Fox Taiwan Serow Takin Tarpan Tasmanian Devil Tasmanian Pademelon Tayra Texas Longhorn Thirteen-lined ground squirrel Thorold’s Deer Three-striped Night Monkey Thylacine Tibetan Blue Bear Tibetan Macaque Tiger Quoll Topi Toque Macaque Tufted Capuchin Tundra Vole Uinta Ground Squirrel Urial Vagrant Shrew Venezuelan Red Howler Verreaux’s Sifaka Vervet Monkey Vicuña Virginia Opossum Visayan Warty Pig Vole Wallaby Walrus Warthog Water Buffalo Water Deer Water Opossum (Yapok) Water Rat (Native Water Rat or Rakali) Waterbuck West Caucasian Tur West European Hedgehog West Indian Manatee Western Bongo Western Gorilla Western Gray Squirrel Western Hog-nosed Skunk Western Hog-nosed Skunk (Common Hog-nosed Skunk) Western Long-beaked Echidna Western Lowland Gorilla Western Spotted Skunk Whiskered Bats White-eared Opossum White-eared Titi White-faced Saki White-footed Dunnart White-footed Rabbit-rat White-headed Capuchin White-headed Marmoset White-lipped Tamarin White-tailed Deer White-tailed Jackrabbit Wild cat Wild Goat Winter White Russian Dwarf hamster Wisent Wolf's Mona Monkey Wolverine Wombat Woylie Yak Yellow Baboon Yellow Mongoose Yellow-backed Duiker Yellow-bellied Marmot Yellow-footed Antechinus Yellow-necked Mouse Yellow-throated Marten Zanzibar Red Colobus Zebra Zebu Zeren (Mongolian Gazelle)

Latest Thoughts

Tasmanian Devil


Credit: Wikipedia
Download full size image

The Tasmanian Devil (Sarcophilus harrisii), also referred to simply as 'the devil', is a carnivorous marsupial now found only in the Australian island state of Tasmania. The Tasmanian Devil is the only remaining member of the genus Sarcophilus. It is the size of a small dog, but stocky and muscular. The Tasmanian Devil is the largest carnivorous marsupial in the world. It is distinct with its black fur coat. It has an offensive odor when stressed, and has an extremely loud and disturbing screech. The Tasmanian Devil is viciousness when feeding. It is known to both hunt prey and scavenge dead animals. Although, it is usually solitary it sometimes eats with other devils.

The Tasmanian Devil became extirpated on the Australian mainland about 400 years before European settlement in 1788. Because they were seen as a threat to livestock in Tasmania, devils were hunted until 1941. Then they became officially protected. Since the late 1990s devil facial tumor disease has reduced the devil population significantly and now threatens the survival of the species. They may soon be listed as endangered. Programs are currently being undertaken by the Tasmanian government to reduce the impact of the disease.

Physical description

The Tasmanian Devil is the largest surviving carnivorous marsupial in Australia. It has a thick build, with a large head and a short, stubby tail. The devil stores body fat in its tail. An unhealthy devil often has a thin tail. Unusually for a marsupial, its forelegs are slightly longer than its hind legs. Devils can run in bursts at the impressive speed of 8.1 miles per hour (13 kilometers per hour). The fur is usually black. Irregular white patches on the chest and rear are common. Males are usually larger than females, having an average head and body length of 26 in (652 mm), with a 10 in (258 mm) tail, and an average weight of 18 lb (8 kg). Females have an average head and body length of 22 in (570 mm), with a 10 in (244 mm) tail, and an average weight of 13 lb (6 kg). The average life expectancy of a Tasmanian Devil in the wild is estimated at six years, although it may live longer in captivity.

The devil has long whiskers on its face and in clumps on the top of the head. These help the devil locate prey when foraging in the dark, and aid in detecting the closeness of other devils during feeding. When agitated, the devil can produce a strong odor. Its pungency is as bad as a skunk. Hearing is its dominant sense, and it also has an excellent sense of smell. Since devils hunt at night, their vision seems to be strongest in black and white. In these conditions they can detect moving objects readily, but have difficulty seeing stationary objects. The devil has the strongest bite of any living mammal. The power of the jaw is in part due to its comparatively large head. A Tasmanian Devil also has one set of teeth that grows slowly throughout its life.

Reproduction

Females start to breed when they reach sexual maturity, typically in their second year. At this point, they become fertile once a year, producing multiple ova while in heat. Mating occurs in March, in sheltered locations during both day and night. Males fight over females in the breeding season, and female devils will mate with the dominant male. Females will mate with several males if not guarded after mating. Devils give birth to 20–30 young. When the young are born, they move from the vagina to the pouch. Once inside the pouch, they each remain attached to a nipple for the next 100 days. The female Tasmanian Devil's pouch opens to the rear. It is physically difficult for the female to interact with young inside the pouch. Despite the large litter at birth, the female has only four nipples. Therefore, no more than four young can survive birth. On average, more females survive than males. Their mother eats the remaining young.

Inside the pouch, the nourished young develop quickly. At 15 days the external parts of the ear are visible. Eyelids are apparent at 16 days, whiskers at 17 days, and the lips at 20 days. The young start to grow fur at 49 days and have a full coat by 90 days. Their eyes open shortly after their fur coat develops, between 87 and 93 days. Their mouths can relax their hold of the nipple at 100 days. They leave the pouch 105 days after birth. Unlike kangaroo joeys, young devils do not return to the pouch. They remain in the den for another three months. First, venturing outside the den between October and December before becoming independent in January. Female devils are occupied with raising their young for all but approximately six weeks of the year.

Ecology and behavior

Tasmanian Devils are widespread and fairly common throughout Tasmania. They are found in all habitats on the island, including the outskirts of urban areas. They particularly like dry forests and coastal woodlands. The Tasmanian Devil is a nocturnal and crepuscular hunter, spending the days in dense bush or in a hole. Young devils can climb trees, but this becomes more difficult as they grow larger. Devils can also swim. They are predominantly solitary animals and do not form packs. They occupy territories of 4.9 to 12.4 square miles (8 to 20 km²), which can overlap considerably among different animals.

Tasmanian Devils can take prey up to the size of a small wallaby. They are opportunistic and eat carrion more often than they hunt live prey. Although the devil favors wombats, it will eat all small native mammals, domestic mammals (including sheep), birds, fish, insects, frogs and reptiles. Their diet is largely varied and depends on the food available. On average, they eat about 15% of their body weight each day. They can eat up to 40% of their body weight in 30 minutes if the opportunity arises. Tasmanian Devils eliminate all traces of a carcass, devouring the bones and fur in addition to the meat and internal organs. The devil has earned the gratitude of Tasmanian farmers, as the speed at which they clean a carcass helps prevent the spread of insects that might otherwise harm livestock.

Eating is a social event for the Tasmanian Devil, and much of the noise attributed to the animal is a result of loud communal eating. Up to 12 individuals can gather, which can often be heard several miles away. They use 11 different vocal sounds to communicate as they feed. They usually establish dominance by sound and physical posturing, although fighting does occur. Adult males are the most aggressive, and scarring is common from fighting over food and mates.

Conservation status

For some time, Tasmania was the last refuge of large marsupial carnivores. All of the larger carnivorous marsupials became extinct in mainland Australia, shortly after humans arrived. Only the smallest and most adaptable survived. Their extinction is attributed to predation by dingoes and hunting by indigenous Australians.

The first Tasmanian settlers ate Tasmanian Devil, which they described as tasting like veal. As it was believed devils would hunt and kill livestock, a bounty scheme to remove the devil from rural properties was introduced as early as 1830. Over the next 100 years, trapping and poisoning brought them to the brink of extinction. Law protected the Tasmanian Devil in 1941, and the population slowly recovered.

The Tasmanian Devil's current population is thought to be in the range of 100,000 to 150,000. Tasmania and Australia prohibit the export of Tasmanian Devils.

redOrbit Friends