Found throughout Tasmania, Tasmanian Devils are the largest carnivorous marsupials in the world. Roughly the size of a small dog, weighing up-to 14kg, ‘Devils’ are considered a keystone species. Renowned for their noisy communal eating, consisting of loud barks, growls and screeches, a group of Devils feeding on the same carcass can be downright terrifying! In fact, when early settlers heard the screeches, they believed it to be that of a demon hiding in the bushes around them, hence the name ‘devils’. With the strongest bite of any mammal of their size in the world, their oversized heads and jaws, extending up-to 80 degrees, have such force they can crush bones, bite through metal and break farming fences! Known as ‘bush vacuum cleaners’ they’ll even eat rotting meat, consuming game in its entirety – even bones and fur! With the ability to detect a carcass from up to a kilometre away, they’ll willingly travel will up to 16kms each day in search of food. Unfortunately, the greatest current threat for devils is the Devil Facial Tumour Disease (DFTD) a contagious disease discovered in the mid-1990s where tumours form in affected animals’ mouths, preventing them from eating, causing them to starve to death. Since DFTD was first observed in 1996, Devil populations have decreased up-to 90%! Conservation efforts to save this species includes; breeding a healthy insurance population, research for a cure and caring for the fitness, health and genetic diversity of the wild species. Conservation Status: Endangered.
