A bunchofmischievousmarsupials
Home Sweet Home
Tasmanian devils can be fou
Tasmania. Duh! But, did you
cute critters used to live onm
Australia too? Devil fossilshav
found that prove it! They beca
on the mainland around 400
Sad face. Tassie devils livein f
they’re usually nocturnal, whic
they’re active at night andrestduringthe
day.
Black Coat
Tassie devils have four legs,
stubby tail and a thick body,
black fur, sometimes withwh
They stand up to 30cm tallattheshoulder,
and are the largest meat-eatingmarsupial.
They can have red ears and bright red jaws,
full of sharp teeth.YIKES!Foody Fiends
Their diet is varied and depends on the food
available. Their favourite food is wombats,
as they’re easy to prey on, but they will also
eat birds, fi sh, insects, frogs and reptiles.
Although, instead of hunting live prey, they
often scour for dead animals instead.
Scary Scream
Devils are famous for their yawn, or for
gaping their mouth and bearing their teeth.
This is usually a show of fear and uncertainty,
rather than aggression. They also have an
interesting cry, which sounds like a loud
screech or moan. It was this and their
appearance that caused early European
settlers to give them the name ‘devil’.
Amazing Movers
Although many devils may live around
each other, they are not pack animals, and
therefore do not share homes or coordinate
looking for food. It’s every devil for themselves!Tasmanian Devil
ANIMAL
awesome
FamousFaces
Tazzy Devil, or Taz, is th
wacky, tornado-turning
Looney Tunes character
we all love! Unlike his r
life cousins, Taz is brow
and loves to eat and ea
and eat, and growls and
grunts instead of having
the Devil’s signature crFast Facts
- Tasmanian Devils are an endangered species.
The most major factor is Devil Facial Tumour
Disease, or DFTD, which causes tumours to
grow around the Devils’ mouth, preventing it
from eating. Some group of Devils have been
successfullyimmunisedagainstthedisease. - They can open their jaws to almost a
90-degree angle, and their bite is strong
enough to chew upbones.
(^32) WORDS:
ZACHARY BRYANT
IMAGES:
ISTOCK