Tasmanian devil, animal: description, distribution, lifestyle

2024 Author: Henry Conors | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-02-12 02:40

The Tasmanian Devil is so named because it is believed to be very aggressive. In addition, it makes a characteristic frightening sound. In fact, it is rather shy, feeding mainly on carrion and rarely preying on live prey. Earlier, even before the spread of the dingo dog in Australia, the animal we are considering lived on the mainland. Today, the Tasmanian devil is an animal that lives only in Tasmania, where it has no natural enemies, but is still an endangered species. The animal hunts at night, and spends days in thickets. Lives on trees in hard leaves, also appears on rocky areas. Sleeps in different places: from a hollow in a tree to a cave in a rock.

Tasmanian devil - aggressive marsupial

Most of us associate this animal, first of all, with the cartooncharacter. Indeed, this animal is just as out of control as its fairy tale counterpart. But the facts show that even one individual can kill up to 60 poultry in just one night.

Tasmanian devils are peculiar animals. They are small marsupials with rat-like features, sharp teeth, and thick black or brown fur. The animal is undersized, but don't be fooled: this creature is very combative and quite intimidating.

Description of the Tasmanian Devil

The real Tasmanian devil, in fact, is completely different from the famous cartoon character. It is not of that size and does not create a storm near the surrounding area like a swirling tornado. The Tasmanian devil is 51 to 79 centimeters long and weighs only 4 to 12 kg. These animals are sexually dimorphic: males are larger than females. Their life expectancy is on average 6 years.

This is the largest carnivorous marsupial in existence today. The body of the beast is strong, strong and disproportionate: a large head, the tail is almost half the length of the body of the animal. This is where most of the fat accumulates, so he althy individuals have very thick and long tails. On the front paws, the beast has five fingers: four simple and one directed to the side. This feature gives them the ability to hold food in their paws. The hind limbs have four fingers with very long and sharp claws.

The animal - the Tasmanian devil - has very strongjaws resembling the jaws of a hyena in their structure. They have protruding fangs, four pairs of upper incisors and three lower ones. The beast can open its jaw to a width of 80 degrees, which allows it to generate very high bite force. Thanks to this, he is able to eat a whole carcass and thick bones.

Habitat

The Tasmanian Devil lives on the island of Tasmania in Australia, which has an area of about 35,042 square miles (90,758 square kilometers). Although these animals can live anywhere on the island, they prefer coastal scrub and dense, dry forests. Often drivers can meet them on the roads where the devils feed on carrion. Because of this, they often die under the wheels of cars. In Tasmania, road signs are very common to warn drivers of the possibility of the Tasmanian Devil. But no matter what area of the island these animals inhabit, they sleep under stones or in caves, hollows or burrows.

Habits

There is one thing in common between the animal and the cartoon character of the same name: bad temperament. When the devil feels threatened, he turns into anger, in which he growls violently, lashes out and bares his teeth. He also emits otherworldly eerie screams that can seem very intimidating. The last feature may be due to the fact that the Tasmanian devil is a lonely animal.

This unusual animal is nocturnal: it sleeps during the day and stays awake at night. This feature may be explained by their desire to avoid dangerous predators -eagles and people. At night, while hunting, he can cover a distance of more than 15 km thanks to his long hind limbs. The Tasmanian devil also has long whiskers that allow it to navigate the terrain and search for prey, especially at night.

The habit of hunting at night is due to their ability to see everything in black and white. Therefore, they respond well to movement, but have problems with a clear vision of stationary objects. Their most developed sense is hearing. They also have a well-developed sense of smell - they smell smells at a distance of more than 1 km.

Interesting fact

Young devils are good at climbing and fixing on trees, but this ability is lost with age. Most likely, this is the result of adaptation to environmental conditions of the Tasmanian devils, whose lifestyle is also marked by cases of cannibalism. Adults during a severe famine can eat the young, which, in turn, defend themselves by climbing trees.

Features of food

As already mentioned, Tasmanian devils are carnivorous animals. Most of the time they eat birds, snakes, fish and insects. Sometimes even a small kangaroo can become their victim. Often, instead of hunting live animals, they feast on dead carcasses called carrion. Sometimes several animals can gather near one carcass, and then fights between them are inevitable. While eating, they absorb everything without loss: they eat the bones, wool, internal organs and muscles of their prey.

The favorite food of the Tasmanian devil, due to its high fat content,is a wombat. But the animal may well eat any other mammals, fruits, frogs, tadpoles and reptiles. Their diet depends primarily on the availability of dinner. At the same time, they have a very good appetite: they can eat food equal to half their weight per day.

Reproduction and offspring

Tasmanian devils usually mate once a year, in March. Females choose a partner very carefully, and the latter can arrange real fights for her attention. The female has a gestation period of about three weeks and the babies are born in April. The offspring can be up to 50 cubs. Young devils are pink and hairless, about the size of a grain of rice, and weigh approximately 24 grams.

The breeding of Tasmanian devils is closely related to strong competition. At birth, the young are in the mother's pouch where they compete for one of her four nipples. Only these four will have a chance to survive; others die from malnutrition. The cubs remain in the mother's pouch for four months. As soon as they come out, the mother wears them on her back. After eight or nine months, the devils are fully grown. Tasmanian devils live from five to eight years.

Conservation status

According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature and the Red List of Endangered Species, the Tasmanian devil is endangered, its numbers are declining every year. In 2007, the IUCN estimated that the distribution of the Tasmanian devil is declining. At that time there were about 25,000adults.

The population of this animal has been reduced by at least 60% since 2001 due to a cancer called Facial Tumor Disease (DFTD). DFTD causes swelling on the surface of the animal's face, making it difficult for it to eat properly. Ultimately, the animal dies of starvation. This is an infectious disease, due to which the species was on the verge of extinction. Today, the Devil Conservation Program is a movement created by the initiative of Australia and the Tasmanian government to save animals from a terrible disease.