Animal devil tasmania. Tasmanian marsupial devil (sarcophilus harrisii). How Devils Breed

24.10.2019

There are few animals in the world named after evil spirits. In addition to the Tasmanian devil, one can only remember the monkfish fish. It is clear that an ordinary representative of the fauna will not be called that. So for what sins was the beast awarded such an unflattering nickname?

Tasmanian devil (Sarcophilus harrisii).

And this story began 400 years ago, when Europeans discovered Australia and nearby islands. The range of the marsupial devil then covered all of Tasmania and probably some areas of Western Australia. The first settlers of these lands were British criminals exiled to distant lands, that is, an illiterate people and, like all Englishmen, deeply superstitious. Moving inland, the convicts behaved cautiously: you never know what danger awaits them in uncharted lands, here every tree, every berry can be fraught with danger. What was the horror of the colonialists when, one dark night, a heartbreaking cry of an unknown creature was heard in the bushes. They have never heard such sounds in their homeland! What kind of animal made this sound that night they did not know, but from that moment they were sure that someone terrible lives here. Subsequently, they had to hear such cries more than once, but interestingly, they were heard only at night, and during the day there was no trace of an unknown creature. Time after time, travelers discussed these oddities at rest stops, adding fictitious details, until, in the end, they agreed that only the devil himself could scream like that.

Later, having settled in the first settlements, they began to breed chickens and sheep. Now, at night screams, the colonialists were no longer surprised, but only prayed to themselves in order to scare away evil spirits. And then came the hour when the veil of secrecy was torn off. One of the newly minted farmers in the morning found a dead chicken in the barn, and near the corpse - the killer. An unprecedented black beast screamed at a man and ... oh horror, everyone recognized this cry. Yes, it's the Tasmanian Devil! Later, such animals were repeatedly found near the corpses of sheep, poultry, and even near the murdered convicts. People were not at all embarrassed by the small size of the beast: the predator took away food from them, destroyed the results of hard work, and only for this was worthy of the title of killer of livestock and ... people. After all, it was much easier to turn the death of a fellow tribesman onto a dumb beast than to call the police. Thus, the death penalty for the "criminal" was guaranteed. And when it turned out that the meat of the “executed” was not inferior in taste to beef, Tasmanian devils began to be destroyed everywhere and succeeded so much that by the 19th century these animals were preserved only in remote areas of Tasmania. So, we told about the prejudices that played a fatal role in the fate of this beast, and now it's time to find out the truth ...

The Tasmanian devil belongs to the order Marsupials and is currently the largest predator in it. Even with their brethren, these unusual mammals have little in common; its only relatives are the spotted marsupial martens and the now exterminated thylacines (marsupial wolves). As already mentioned, the size of marsupial devils is small, they do not exceed 50 cm in length, weigh 6-8 kg. In their appearance, the features of different animals are intricately intertwined: at first glance, the Tasmanian devil resembles a squat dog, although the paws are flat like those of a bear, and the elongated muzzle with long whiskers makes it look like a giant rat. This combination of external features testifies to the antiquity and primitiveness of these animals.

The color of the Tasmanian devils is black, 75% of individuals have two white crescent marks: one on the chest, the second on the lower back.

They do not have protected individual sites, but one individual, as a rule, moves around a certain territory, resting in 3-4 permanent dens. Shelters Tasmanian devils are dense bushes, holes that they dig themselves, or small caves. On the outskirts of the villages, these animals sometimes steal blankets and clothes and line their shelters with these things. Animals lead a solitary lifestyle, because they have a grumpy and quarrelsome character. The only thing that can bring Tasmanian devils together is large prey. For the sake of food, they are ready to tolerate neighbors, but only after they properly shout at each other and find out who is in charge. The muzzles of older individuals are scarred, reminiscent of such skirmishes. Marsupial devils go hunting only at night and at dusk, but in captivity they are active during the day.

Baby marsupial devils take sunbaths.

These animals are voracious, the maximum weight of prey that they can absorb at a time is 40% of their own mass. Powerful jaws, in strength not inferior to the jaws of a hyena, allow you to kill prey larger than the predator itself, such as wombats and sheep. In addition, Tasmanian devils catch small kangaroos, kangaroo rats, possums, parrots, insects, adults can encroach on the life of young animals. At the same time, whenever possible, they prefer the bloodless and lazy way to get enough, namely, they pick up carrion, dead fish, toads and frogs. Often, animals caught feasting at the corpses of fallen ungulates are unfairly accused of the death of the victims. Interestingly, marsupial devils prefer well-rotten meat and eat the carcass without a trace, including skin, entrails and small bones. Apparently, the animals are not afraid to experiment with unfamiliar products; in their stomachs and droppings they found pieces of leather shoes, harness, denim, echidna needles, and pencils.

On the run, the Tasmanian devils can accelerate up to 12 km / h.

In search of prey, these animals slowly bypass the territory, sometimes climb the lower branches of trees, confidently swim across rivers, including cold mountain streams. During the night they can overcome from 8 to 30 km. Their main sense organs are touch, a very keen sense of smell and well-developed night vision. If it is not possible to escape, the Tasmanian devil resorts to a psychological attack - that same heartbreaking cry. It must be admitted that their voice is indeed very loud for animals of such a small size. It sounds unpleasant, in places it resembles a loud growl, in places a hoarse or shrill squeal. Tasmanian devils know the power of their weapons and do not forget to remind their enemies and fellow tribesmen of it with a wide threatening yawn. Behind these hysterical cries lies another secret of these animals - in fact, they are very cowardly. When frightened, these mammals emit an unpleasant odor.

Tasmanian devil in a menacing pose.

The breeding season for Tasmanian devils begins in the Australian autumn, that is, in March-April. Males arrange fights, after which the female mates with the strongest of them. However, she can change partners, and the male can also have several chosen ones. Pregnancy, like all marsupials, is short, it lasts 21 days.

It is also surprising that in such tiny, essentially underdeveloped newborns, it is already possible to distinguish the sex.

Tasmanian devils are one of the most prolific mammals, in one offspring they can have 20-30 cubs! True, only the first four babies who managed to attach to the nipples have a chance for life. To get into the bag that opens back, the cubs are helped by the flow of mucus released during childbirth. After 2 months, they begin to squeak, and after 3 they are completely covered with wool. Gradually, the babies begin to climb out of the mother's pouch, as a rule, the female leaves them in the den, leaving to hunt. Young individuals become independent by January. They reach puberty by 2 years, but no more than half of the animals survive to this period. In general, Tasmanian devils do not live long, in nature the age of the oldest individuals did not exceed 5 years, and in captivity - 7.

In nature, the natural enemies of the Tasmanian devils were eagles and marsupial wolves (the latter killed cubs in dens). With the resettlement of the Australian aborigines, dingo dogs came to the continent, which finally destroyed the marsupial devils in Australia, and the European colonialists helped to complete this process. Now the animals are under protection and no one hunts them, but new troubles prevent the full restoration of their numbers. Firstly, foxes were brought to the island of Tasmania, which began to do the same thing here as dingo dogs in Australia. Secondly, the animals turned out to be very susceptible to a viral form of cancer, which is called the "Devil's Face Tumor Disease" (DFTD). In sick animals, tissue begins to grow on the eyelids, cheeks, throat so that in the end they lose the ability to eat and breathe normally. So far, the only way to combat this virus is to remove infected individuals from wild populations.

Tasmanian devil cubs in their mother's pouch.

Caught Tasmanian devils are poorly tamed, a low level of intelligence and natural aggressiveness make contact with people difficult, animals often bite, rush about in a cage, and even gnaw through bars. However, offspring born in captivity calmly react to their caregivers.

marsupials, as everyone knows, live in Australia, New Guinea and the surrounding islands. The exception is American opossums. Marsupials are closer to primitive animals that fed their offspring in bags on their stomachs.

In the process of the struggle for existence, mammals with full intrauterine development won, since they were born stronger, developed better and surpassed in their vitality those who stayed a short time in the womb and fed milk in her bag for a long time.

Better adapted mammals have supplanted marsupials on every continent except Australia. Why they were preserved there and why it happened - no one has yet been able to convincingly explain.

One of these curiosities is marsupial, or tasmanian, devil(and that's a scientific name, not a nickname). It is a small bear-like predator with a body about 70 cm long. It has an unusually large gallop, a broad bulldog muzzle and large ears, covered with hair on the outside, but completely naked inside, the pink skin of which contrasts with the black fur.

He also has a naked nose, lips, and an almost bare tip of the muzzle. Its tail is similar to a large carrot: thick at the base, with a sharp end. A white collar and two white spots stand out on the chest of the beast.

Such is the portrait of the Tasmanian devil, which got its name not because of its scary appearance, but because it is considered the most rabid and aggressive creature in the world.

He most likely owes such a reputation to the testimonies of hunters, struck by the wild fury with which this clumsy-looking beast defends itself. And since it is rare, such a characteristic was subsequently simply retold or reprinted many times.

The reputation of the poor devil stuck to him firmly. And only in the thirties of the last century, when the first copies of these marsupials appeared in zoos, it became clear that it was built on random and incorrect observations. These devils are tamed no worse than other animals, even if they fall into captivity as adults.

But upon closer acquaintance with them, it turns out that a very unpleasant smell emanates from them. By habits, the marsupial devil resembles a hyena - it feeds on carrion. All this repels from him a person who involuntarily ascribes all sins to an unpleasant creature indiscriminately.

It should be said that the devil's food is not only carrion, he eats everything: frogs, insects, and even poisonous snakes. In addition to gluttony, this animal is distinguished by illegibility in food - echidna needles, pieces of rubber, silver foil, pieces of leather shoes and harnesses, dish towels and undigested carrots and corn cobs were found in its excrement.

His hunting passion manifested itself in one amusing case: when a male devil ran into the open doors of the house and tried to drag away a cat dozing on the fireplace.

Another reason why hunters dislike him is his ability to ruin snares. With his strong teeth, he is able to gnaw through even iron bars.

The Tasmanian devil is nocturnal, but at the same time it behaves very noisily: the animal lapping water can be heard from 25 meters away. Just as loudly, forgetting about all caution, male devils yell during fights, their wild cries are carried far in the stillness of the night.

As for the offspring, the name "devil" seems to be the most appropriate here, because males happen to eat their cubs, and even at the moment when they, completely helpless, emerge from the mother's pouch. Devilish, frankly, concern. However, we must remember that such a phenomenon as eating offspring is not so rare in the animal world, for example, in domestic pigs.

But at the moment when the marsupial devil arranges a "family nest", the male works on a par with the female. In pits from uprooted trees, in hollows of fallen trunks, future parents line the bottom with bark, grass and leaves. The number of cubs that will appear in late May - early June reaches four, and the same number of nipples in the mother's bag.

For the first time, the offspring of the marsupial devil was obtained in captivity in the 40s of the last century. At the beginning of June, in the pouch of the female, which was kept together with the male, four small pink, naked and blind creatures, barely one and a half centimeters long, appeared. After seven weeks, they had grown to eight centimeters, were already moving their legs and giving voice.

At a month and a half they were overgrown with black fur, but only at the age of fifteen weeks did they finally break away from their mother's nipples, which until then they had been holding on to continuously. They opened their eyes and at the eighteenth week they began to crawl out of the bag and show interest in games. At the slightest danger, however, they clung to their mother, trying to climb into the bag on their own.

As further observations showed, these animals do not live long in captivity - seven years at the most.

But why does the marsupial devil live not in Australia, like all marsupials, but on a small island south of this continent? As shown by fossil remains, he used to live in Australia, like the second marsupial predator - the marsupial wolf, but was forced out of there in ancient times. It is not known who brought to Tasmania, he survived only on this relatively small piece of land.

Tasmanian devils caused a lot of trouble for European settlers, ruining chicken coops, eating animals caught in traps, and allegedly attacking lambs and sheep, which is why these animals were actively persecuted. In addition, the meat of the marsupial devil turned out to be edible and, according to the colonists, tasted like veal.

By June 1941, when the Tasmanian Devil Protection Act was passed, it was on the verge of extinction. However, unlike the marsupial wolf, which became extinct in 1936, the population of marsupial devils was restored.

The greatest danger to devils in our time is a contagious tumor. For the first time, a fatal disease called devil facial tumor disease ( devil's facial neoplasm disease, "devil's facial tumor"), or DFTD, was registered in 1999. Over the past period, according to various estimates, from 20 to 50% of the population of marsupial devils died from it, mainly in the eastern part of the island.

There are currently no cures for DFTD. To restore the population of devil cubs, they are raised in special nurseries and then released into the wild.

Or, others - lions or tigers, and someone -, or octopuses.

In this article we will talk about a miniature bear that bears the proud name - Tasmanian devil. So, who is the Tasmanian devil? Let's figure it out.

Description and appearance

The homeland of the Tasmanian devil is Australia, known for its marsupials. The devil in its shape and color resembles a bear, however, in miniature, because the length of the Australian predator reaches only 50 cm, and at the withers it is no higher than the yard. The characteristic color for this animal is black with occasional patches of white spots.

For the first time, a person encountered this predator during the colonization of the Australian continent, at a time when British prisoners were exiled to this huge island. Together with the prisoners, European domestic animals were brought to Australia.

It was then that night attacks on sheep and chickens by an unknown marsupial predator, the Tasmanian devil, became more frequent, so it is not difficult to guess why it was called that.

Thanks to the predatory features of the muzzle and the inconstancy of mood, the Tasmanian miniature bear received such an unkind nickname. He was also called the devil because he makes sounds that are very unpleasant for a person’s hearing, similar to whining grunts and howls, and in moments of anger - to a hoarse rumble, somewhat reminiscent of the rumble of a motorcycle.

The Tasmanian devil has a large head with a huge mouth studded with sharp fangs. The power of his jaws is capable of crushing the bones, spine and even the skull of other animals in one bite.

Did you know? In terms of the ratio of bite force and body weight, the Tasmanian devil holds the record among mammals.

Its stocky build and strong paws allow this predator to hunt all kinds of animals and even. The marsupial predator does not disdain sheep, rats, fish, and snakes. Also, in the case when the hunt was unsuccessful, the animal can survive on carrion.

Habitat

Initially, the marsupial devil lived not only on the island of Tasmania, but throughout mainland Australia. But after the locals introduced the dingo, which became the main opponents of the marsupial predator, the population of devils began to decline rapidly. When in 1941 the number of devils was reduced to a crisis point, a ban was introduced on their extermination.
To date, the marsupial predator can only be found in national reserves and the northwestern regions of the island of Tasmania. In other places, this species of predator is not found.

The main opponents of this species were marsupial wolves (thiacins), but they have already become extinct, as well as dingo dogs. Since 2001, when it was illegally brought to Tasmania, the miniature bear has a new enemy. Their struggle for habitats continues today.

Lifestyle in the wild

Surely by this time you have already formed a certain opinion about this animal. Someone has probably already abandoned the idea of taming a Tasmanian miniature bear and having it as a cute pet.

But surely there are those among you who only began to dream about him more strongly. If you are one of the latter, then you can learn a lot more interesting and important information about the Tasmanian devil, which will be discussed in the following sections.

Nutrition

Marsupial devils live in any landscape. For them, the main thing is the presence of a large amount of food, since their the daily intake is approximately equal to 15% of body weight. It can be concluded that these animals are very voracious.

Tasmanian devils feed on everything that, as they say, comes to hand. They do not sort out either fresh meat or missing. A special delicacy for these animals are already decomposed corpses of animals and fish with cadaveric worms that have started there.

Thanks to their strong legs and powerful muscles, Tasmanian devils can easily climb trees or penetrate chicken coops and climb to perches. Their strong toothy jaws skillfully deal with small animals and birds, as well as snakes, frogs and small fish, which the devils hunt near water bodies.

By nature, they are clumsy and slow, and therefore most of the day they sleep somewhere in the shade of bushes or abandoned burrows, but with the onset of night they get out to their bloody trade.

Tasmanian devils are bright loners in the animal world. In groups, they can only be forced to converge by eating large carrion, for example, a cow. Then a whole flock of marsupial devils gather at the meal.
Often in such cases there are skirmishes between males. It is in such skirmishes that miniature bears emit piercing, heart-rending and even devilish cries that are heard for many kilometers around.

Did you know? In the excrement of the Tasmanian devils, the remains of not only meat and carrion, but also many other items were found. Among them were scraps of towels, the remains of rubber from stingrays, a piece of the sole of boots and scraps of leather from a horse's stirrup, and in addition, silver foil and echidna needles.

In addition to being incredibly gluttonous and eating carrion, Tasmanian devils can cause other inconveniences if they become your pet. During those periods when the animal is frightened or stressed, a pungent unpleasant odor is released, similar to the reaction of skunks.

So if this difficult animal ever appears in your house, be prepared for the fact that it will need to be surrounded by attention, care and ... air fresheners.

reproduction

A miniature bear is by nature a loner, but in March-April, when spring comes, they, like most animals, have a breeding season. But even in this short period, they show extraordinary aggression, demonstrating their unwillingness to be close to another representative of their race for a long time.
So, already on the 3rd day after intercourse, the female drives the male away. On average, the duration of pregnancy takes 21 days, after which about 30 cubs are born. Sadly, only the 4 strongest babies will survive, who will be the first to attach themselves to one of the 4 nipples of the female. The rest of the young are eaten by the female.

At about the 3rd month, the eyes of the Tasmanian devil cubs open and they leave the mother's pouch, but are not yet completely removed. Only by the end of December, the new generation of devils finally leaves their mother and becomes independent.

According to statistics, among the surviving devils, the majority are females, who already in the 2nd year begin to have sexual intercourse and multiply.

Possible diseases

Like all living creatures on the planet, Tasmanian devils are also subject to many diseases, the worst of which is facial swelling. It is terrible not only because of the terrifying appearance, but also because this disease is fatal, and there are no cures for it.
The only reassurance for those who decide to tame the devil is the fact that the disease is transmitted externally, that is, from an infected individual to a healthy one, through bites during fights for food or females. Over the past 20 years, this disease has destroyed more than 2/3 of the population.

The disease begins with the fact that small tumors form near the mouth of the animal, which eventually spread throughout the body and begin to grow, increasing in size. Approximately 12-18 months after infection, the tumors cover the mouth and completely block vision, leading to starvation.

Important! The death rate from a facial tumor in the Tasmanian devil is 100%. No cure has been found to date.

In order to prevent the complete extinction of the species, special nurseries have been created that grow reserve populations. In addition, research is underway to find a cure for the deadly disease, and some progress has already been made.

For example, it was found that tumor processes occur in cells designed to protect the animal's nervous system, and that the same structural changes occur in these cells during infection. Now it's up to the salvific discovery of a drug that will be able to cure the sick individual of the devil.
But nature itself intervenes in saving the population of miniature bears. So, the researchers found that the females began to breed six months / a year earlier than usual. And besides, the breeding season of the Tasmanian devil now covers the whole year, and not just the beginning of spring.

Can the Tasmanian Devil be tamed?

Both small and adult individuals are capable of domestication. And with a strong desire, they can be tamed by making pets. Whole flocks are now reared in artificial conditions. These animals are carefully monitored and cared for by people, and therefore the animals have become tame and are not afraid of us.

The main thing to remember: don't scare the little bear otherwise it may give off a very unpleasant smell. Raw meat is used for feeding, sometimes vegetables are added. If you put up with its strange and frightening sounds, then the Tasmanian marsupial can become a funny, but still wayward little animal.

Is there a chance to buy a predator

As we have already found out, you can tame the devil, but can you buy it? Unfortunately, the Tasmanian devil is not released from its home country. Tasmania has banned the export of these animals from its territory, and you are unlikely to be able to find a miniature bear for sale.

The only thing that can be done is to find people in their country who are engaged in the artificial cultivation of this type of animal. This is the only way you can get an exclusive pet.

But before storming the Internet in search of sellers of Tasmanian devils, it is better to go to the reserve where these animals are located to see them in reality, because they are beautiful in the picture, but in reality everything looks completely different.
The Tasmanian miniature bear is without a doubt a very interesting and capricious animal that loves loneliness and hunts under the cover of night. It is hard to imagine that some 20 years ago this species practically disappeared from the face of the earth, but by the forces of people and the forces of nature itself, their population was saved.

And although they look like cute, tame and harmless little cubs, in fact they are real predators with powerful clawed paws and strong jaws that can break a skull or crush bones in one bite. Therefore, before deciding to have such a difficult pet, it is worthwhile to think about this idea and first look at the object of your dreams in reality.

And if, after contact with the marsupial devil, you even more want to see him in your home - feel free to look for a nursery and tame the mysterious and peculiar, ferocious and whimsical, but at the same time sweet and cute Tasmanian devil.

Being the largest of modern predatory marsupials, this animal is black in color with white spots on the chest and rump, with a huge mouth and sharp teeth, has a dense physique and severe disposition, for which, in fact, it was called the Tasmanian devil (lat. Sarcophilus harrisii). Emitting ominous cries at night, the massive and clumsy beast outwardly resembles a small bear: the front paws are slightly longer than the hind legs, a large head, and the muzzle is blunted.

Sarcophilus (gr. Flesh lover) is the name of its genus. These animals reach 50-80 cm in length, up to 30 cm in height and 12 kg in weight, the length of the tail is up to 30 cm. The pouch of females opens back. Males are larger than females, but in principle, a lot also depends on age, nutrition and range: the size and weight of the animals can change in one direction or another.

But what is invariable for everyone is small pink ears, short hair, a strong tail (where fat reserves are deposited), large claws and the absence of a first finger on the hind limbs. , awarded by nature with sharp strong teeth, with one bite is able to bite and crush not only the bone, but also the spine of its prey!

Previously, this amazing animal lived on mainland Australia, but today the Tasmanian devil can only be found on the island of Tasmania. It is assumed that it was squeezed out by wild ones, brought to the mainland by the natives. European settlers also did not spare the Tasmanian devil, ruthlessly exterminating his family because of the beast's habit of ruining chicken coops.

In 1941, an official ban on hunting the Tasmanian devil literally saved these animals from complete extinction from the face of the Earth. Currently, they live in the national parks of Tasmania, in the northern, western and central parts of the island, living in almost any landscape conditions, with the exception of densely populated regions.

As for the lifestyle and diet of the Tasmanian devil, inhabiting coastal savannahs, dry sclerophyll and mixed sclerophyll-rain forests, they feed mainly on carrion, small animals (rats, rabbits) and birds. Insects, snakes and amphibians are also used.

The Tasmanian devil is very voracious: he must eat 15% of his body weight per day. If he does not eat up food of animal origin, then he can eat both plant tubers and edible roots. The animal shows activity at night, during the day hiding in dense bushes and crevices of stones.

Animals live in burrows and under the trunk of a fallen tree, arranging nests for themselves from leaves, bark and grass. He likes to walk along the shore of the reservoir, eating the surrounding frogs, crayfish and other small aquatic inhabitants. Possessing an excellent sense of smell, the Tasmanian devil can smell carrion at a great distance.

Here the size does not matter - if necessary, he will eat both a sheep and a cow! Especially pleased if the meat is properly rotten and decomposed. Going in search of prey, which the Tasmanian devil eats completely, along with bones and wool, he can fight for it with the marsupial marten.

By nature, Tasmanian devils are loners. They gather in groups only in one case - when you need to eat something large. At the same time, they fight and growl loudly, squeak, shrill scream, making a wide variety of sounds, which earns an additional bad reputation.

As a scavenger, the Tasmanian devil plays a critical role in the Tasmanian ecosystem by greatly reducing the chances of blowfly infestation in sheep. Despite its stern disposition, the Tasmanian Devil can be tamed and kept as a pet. But just don’t scare him, otherwise he will emit an unpleasant smell.

Tasmania country of devils November 16th, 2013

The largest predator of the Australian island of Tasmania is the Tasmanian devil from the marsupial family. In size, the animal is no larger than a dog; body length of an adult reaches 50-80 cm, tail - 23-30 cm. It has a short thick black coat with white spots on the sacrum, sides and chest. The Tasmanian devil boasts strong jaws and sharp teeth. A predator is able to bite through its victim's spine or skull with one bite. It feeds mainly on small mammals, birds, insects, reptiles, and does not disdain carrion. It is also notable for its ability to depict a huge number of sounds from coughing to a piercing squeal. There is an opinion that it is thanks to the peculiar cries that the animal got its name "devil". This animal is endowed with an excellent sense of smell, can develop a fairly high speed (up to 15 km / h), climb trees and swim.

But let's talk about it in more detail...

The Tasmanian devil is a marsupial predator that is found in the wild only on the island of Tasmania. The only representative of the genus Sacrofilius, which in Greek means a lover of flesh. After the last of the marsupial wolves disappeared in 1936, the marsupial devil became the largest marsupial predator. It is also called the marsupial tiger. He was a cross between a wolf and a tiger. So, the devil is the wolf-tiger's closest relative and is itself something between a marsupial tiger wolf and a marsupial marten.

Sarcophilus (gr. Flesh lover) is the name of its genus.

He kills his victims very brutally and smells very bad and squeals loudly when he is frightened. The Tasmanian devil is about the size of a small dog, thick and stocky. It hunts at night, in this it is helped by black wool, which hides it well in the dark. Poorly sees motionless objects in the dark, but well - moving. A small kangaroo can also kill (despite the fact that it hunts alone), but usually does not bother with this, preferring to eat carrion. When eating an animal, the Tasmanian devils eat it whole, even wool and bones. In this they are beneficial, because they leave nothing to the insects and thus prevent their exorbitant reproduction.

These animals accumulate fat in the tail, which, as a rule, is thick and long. If the tail of the tiger wolf marten is thin, this indicates that the animal is unhealthy. Previously, the devil was also found in Australia, but disappeared from there 400 years ago, even before the Europeans settled there, dingoes and indigenous Australians survived them from there. In Tasmania, many farmers also dreamed of eradicating this beast, because - according to their assumptions - the Tasmanian devil must certainly drag cows from the herd and other livestock. And the first European settlers in Tasmania not only killed these dogs, but also ate and praised them.

In Australia, the Tasmanian devil is a very popular animal. They like to depict him on money, coats of arms and all that, sports teams are named after him. International fame for this animal was brought by the animated series produced by Looney Tunes about the Tasmanian devil Taz. In these cartoons, however, the character acts more like a person, but also from the animal, in addition to a large head, long fangs and short legs, characteristic features are taken - Taz in the cartoon, like all Tasmanian devils, is noisy, gluttonous and modest.

Live Tasmanian devil can be seen, basically, only in Australia, because the export of these animals is now prohibited. The last of the foreign devils died in the United States in 2004. However, in 2005, the Tasmanian government made an exception and gave two Tasmanian devils to Frederick, Crown Prince of Denmark, and his Tasmanian wife Mary after the birth of their first son. Now these gifts live in the Copenhagen Zoo.

In a calm state, the marsupial devil is rather slow and clumsy, but in emergency situations it switches to a gallop, reaching a speed of up to 13-15 km / h. Young animals are agile and mobile, they climb trees well. Adults climb worse, but they are able to climb sloping trunks and climb perches in chicken coops. Marsupial devils are good swimmers.

Due to its aggressive disposition and nocturnal lifestyle, the adult marsupial devil has few natural enemies. Previously, marsupial wolves and dingoes hunted them. Young marsupial devils are sometimes preyed upon by birds of prey and tiger marsupial martens (Dasyurus maculatus). The new enemy and food competitor of the Tasmanian devil was the common fox, illegally brought to Tasmania in 2001.

Tasmanian devils caused a lot of trouble for European settlers, ruining chicken coops, eating animals caught in traps, and allegedly attacking lambs and sheep, because of which these animals were actively persecuted. In addition, the meat of the marsupial devil turned out to be edible and, according to the colonists, tasted like veal. By June 1941, when the Tasmanian Devil Protection Act was passed, it was on the verge of extinction. However, unlike the thylacine (extinct in 1936), the population of marsupial devils was restored and now they are quite numerous. Their population, like that of the quolls, is subject to strong seasonal fluctuations, since every year in the summer (December-January), young marsupial devils leave their mothers and disperse throughout the territory in search of food. However, 60% of them die within the first few months, unable to withstand food competition.

The penultimate sharp decline in the number of marsupial devils took place in 1950; before the start of the DFTD epidemic, their population was estimated at 100,000 to 150,000 individuals, with a density of 20 individuals for every 10-20 km².

Tasmanian devil. (Rune Johnsson's snapshots)