Tasmanian Devil Totally Explained

Everything about The Tasmanian Devil totally explained

The Tasmanian Devil (Sarcophilus harrisii), also referred to simply as "the devil", is a carnivorous marsupial now found in the wild only in the Australian island state of Tasmania. The Tasmanian Devil is the only extant member of the genus Sarcophilus. The size of a small dog, but stocky and muscular, the Tasmanian Devil is now the largest carnivorous marsupial in the world after the extinction of the Thylacine in 1936. It is characterised by its black fur, offensive odor when stressed, extremely loud and disturbing screech, and viciousness when feeding. It is known to both hunt prey and scavenge carrion and although it's 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, when they became officially protected. Since the late 1990s devil facial tumour disease has reduced the devil population significantly and now threatens the survival of the species, which in May of 2008 was finally declared to be endangered. Programs are currently being undertaken by the Tasmanian government to reduce the impact of the disease.

Taxonomy

Naturalist George Harris wrote the first published description of the Tasmanian Devil in 1807, naming it Didelphis ursina. In 1838 the devil was renamed Dasyurus laniarius by Richard Owen, before being moved to the genus Sarcophilus in 1841 and named Sarcophilus harrisii, or "Harris's meat-lover", by Pierre Boitard. A later revision of the devil's taxonomy, published in 1987, attempted to change the species name to Sarcophilus laniarius based on mainland fossil records of only a few animals. However, this wasn't accepted by the taxonomic community at large and the name S. harrisii has been retained and S. laniarius relegated to fossil species.

Physical description

The Tasmanian Devil is the largest surviving carnivorous marsupial in Australia. It has a squat and thick build, with a large head and a tail which is about half its body length. The devil stores body fat in its tail, so unhealthy devils often have thin tails. Unusual for a marsupial, its forelegs are slightly longer than its hind legs. Devils can run up to per hour for short distances. The fur is usually black, although irregular white patches on the chest and rump are common. Males are usually larger than females, having an average head and body length of, with a tail, and an average weight of . Females have an average head and body length of, with a tail, and an average weight of . The average life expectancy of a Tasmanian Devil in the wild is estimated at six years, although they 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 when other devils are close during feeding. When agitated, the devil can produce a strong odour, its pungency rivaling even the 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. An analysis of mammalian bite force relative to the body size shows that 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. 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. Devils are not monogamous, and females will mate with several males if not guarded after mating. Gestation lasts 21 days, and devils give birth to up to 50 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, like that of the wombat, opens to the rear, so it's physically difficult for the female to interact with young inside the pouch. Despite the large litter at birth, the female has only four nipples, so that no more than four young can survive birth. On average, more females survive than males. Tasmanian Devils eliminate all traces of a carcass, devouring the bones and fur in addition to the meat and internal organs. In this respect, 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. Much of the noise attributed to the animal is a result of raucous communal eating, at which up to 12 individuals can gather, and can often be heard several kilometers away. A study of feeding devils identified 20 physical postures, including their characteristic vicious yawn, and the 11 different vocal sounds that devils use to communicate as they feed. They usually establish dominance by sound and physical posturing, although fighting does occur. In dingo-free Tasmania, carnivorous marsupials were still active when Europeans arrived. The extermination of the Thylacine after the arrival of the Europeans is well known, but the Tasmanian Devil was threatened as well.
   The first Tasmanian settlers ate Tasmanian Devil, which they described as tasting like veal.

Devil facial tumour disease

First seen in 1995, devil facial tumour disease (DFTD) has ravaged Tasmania's wild devils, and estimates of the impact range from 20% to as much as a 50% decline in the devil population with over 65% of the State affected. Affected high-density populations suffer up to 100% mortality in 12–18 months. The species was listed as vulnerable under the Tasmanian Threatened Species Protection Act 1995 and the Australian Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 in 2006 which means that it's at risk of extinction in the "medium term". The IUCN doesn't regard the species as threatened; when this species was last evaluated for the IUCN in 1996, it was listed as lower risk/least concern.
Wild Tasmanian Devil populations are being monitored to track the spread of the disease and to identify changes in disease prevalence. Field monitoring involves trapping devils within a defined area to check for the presence of the disease and determine the number of affected animals. The same area is visited repeatedly to characterise the spread of the disease over time. So far, it has been established that the short-term effects of the disease in an area can be severe. Long-term monitoring at replicated sites will be essential to assess whether these effects remain, or whether populations can recover. Foxes are a problematic invasive species in all other Australian States, and the establishment of foxes in Tasmania would hinder the recovery of the Tasmanian Devil.
Recent research from the University of Sydney has shown that the infectious facial cancer may be able to spread because of vanishingly low genetic diversity in devil immune genes (MHC class I and II) — raising questions about how well small, and potentially inbred, populations of animals are able to survive.

Cultural references

The Tasmanian Devil is an iconic animal within Australia; it's the symbol of the Tasmanian National Parks and Wildlife Service, and the Tasmanian Australian rules football team which plays in the Victorian Football League is known as the Devils. The defunct Hobart Devils basketball team in the NBL was also named after the animal. The devil was one of six native Australian animals to appear on commemorative Australian two hundred dollar coins issued between 1989 and 1994. Tasmanian Devils are popular with domestic and international tourists. Because of their unique personality the Tasmanian Devil has been the subject of numerous documentaries and non-fiction children's books. The most recent Australian documentary on the Tasmanian Devil, Terrors of Tasmania, directed and produced by David Parer and Elizabeth Parer-Cook, was released in 2005. The documentary follows a female devil called Manganinnie through breeding season and the birth and rearing of her young. The documentary also looks at the effect of devil facial tumor disease and the conservation measures being taken to ensure survival of the Tasmanian Devil. The documentary has screened on television in Australia and in the United States on the National Geographic Channel.
Restrictions on the export of the Tasmanian Devil means that devils can only be seen kept in captivity in Australia. The last known overseas devil died at the Fort Wayne Children's Zoo in 2004. However, the Tasmanian Government has sent a pair of devils to the Copenhagen Zoo, following the birth of the first son of Frederik, Crown Prince of Denmark and his Tasmanian wife Mary in October 2005. These are the only devils that can be seen outside Australia.
The Tasmanian Devil is probably best known internationally as the inspiration for the Looney Tunes cartoon character The Tasmanian Devil, or "Taz". While the cartoon incarnation does resemble a stylized Devil (prominent canines, large head, short legs) the behavioral similarities between the two seem to be limited, consisting mainly of a noisy comportment, voracious appetite, and shy demeanor. Researchers have also named a genetic-mutant mouse "the Tasmanian devil". The mutant mouse is defective in the development of sensory-hair cells of the ear, leading the mutant to abnormal behaviours including head-tossing and circling, more like the cartoon "Taz" than the actual Tasmanian Devil.

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