Tasmanian devil (Sarcophilus harrisii)

Jan 31, 2021 Interesting Creatures in Guyana, News

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Kaieteur News – The Tasmanian devil (Sarcophilus harrisii) is a carnivorous marsupial of the family Dasyuridae. It was once native to mainland Australia and in modern times was found in the wild only on the island state of Tasmania. It has now been reintroduced to New South Wales with a small breeding population. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tasmanian_devil – cite_note-:0-3 The size of a small dog, the Tasmanian devil became the largest carnivorous marsupial in the world, following the extinction of the thylacine in 1936. It is related to quolls, and distantly related to the thylacine. It is characterised by its stocky and muscular build, black fur, pungent odour, extremely loud and disturbing screech, keen sense of smell, and ferocity when feeding. The Tasmanian devil’s large head and neck allow it to generate among the strongest bites per unit body mass of any extant predatory land mammal. It hunts prey and scavenges carrion, as well as eating household products, if humans are living nearby.
Although devils are usually solitary, they sometimes eat and defecate together in a communal location. Unlike most other dasyurids, the devil thermo regulates effectively, and is active during the middle of the day without overheating. Despite its rotund appearance, it is capable of surprising speed and endurance, and can climb trees and swim across rivers. Devils are not monogamous. Males fight one another for females, and guard their partners to prevent female infidelity. Females can ovulate three times in as many weeks during the mating season, and 80 percent of two-year-old females are seen to be pregnant during the annual mating season.
Females average four breeding seasons in their life, and give birth to 20–30 live young after three weeks’ gestation. The newborns are pink, lack fur, have indistinct facial features, and weigh around 0.20 g (0.0071 oz.) at birth. As there are only four nipples in the pouch, competition is fierce, and few newborns survive. The young grow rapidly, and are ejected from the pouch after around 100 days, weighing roughly 200 g (7.1 oz.). The young become independent after around nine months.
It is believed that ancient marsupials migrated across Gondwana tens of millions of years ago, and that they evolved as Australia became more arid. Fossils of species similar to modern devils have been found, but it is not known whether devils are descended from these species or co-existed with them. It is unclear when Tasmanian devils became locally extinct from the Australian mainland; most evidence suggests they had contracted to three relict populations around 3,000 years ago. A tooth found in Augusta, Western Australia, has been dated to 430 years ago, but archaeologist Oliver Brown disputes this and considers the devil’s mainland extinction to have occurred around 3,000 years ago. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tasmanian_devil – cite_note-Brown2006-4 This disappearance is blamed on climate change, a population increase in humans and the introduction of the dingo, the latter of which is absent from Tasmania.
In 1941, devils became officially protected, and since then, scientists have contended that earlier concerns over the threat to livestock were overestimated and misplaced. Since the late 1990s, the devil facial tumour disease (DFTD) has drastically reduced the population and now threatens the survival of the species, which in 2008 was declared to be endangered. Programmes undertaken by the Government of Tasmania to reduce the impact of the disease include an initiative to build up a group of healthy devils in captivity, isolated from the disease. Localised populations of devils have also been severely reduced by collisions with motor vehicles, particularly when they are eating road kill.
The devil is an iconic symbol of Tasmania and many organizations, groups and products associated with the state, use the animal in their logos. It is seen as an important attractor of tourists to Tasmania and has come to worldwide attention through the Looney Tunes character of the same name. Starting in 2013, Tasmanian devils are again being sent to zoos around the world as part of the Australian government’s Save the Tasmanian Devil Programme.