Tasmanian davil

Tasmanian devil(c) Pavel Procházka

A MARSUPIAL FROM TASMANIA
Tasmanian devils are marsupials, i.e. a distant relative of the kangaroo. Currently they only live in Tasmania, a relatively cool and forested island some 240 kilometres from the Australian mainland. About three thousand to five hundred years ago, they also inhabited Australia. Their disappearance is probably due to the increasing dryness of the island continent and the spread of the non-native dingo.

A DEVIL ONLY BY NAME
Tasmanian devil probably owes its name to its unearthly screams, ears that can blush red, and to its indiscriminate appetite accompanied by seemingly fierce fights with its fellows. In reality, however, the devils are shy loners and their meetings are governed by a strict “etiquette”. A wide-open mouth is a signal that expresses uncertainty and is meant to avoid conflicts.

A CRUSHING GRIP
Devils can open their mouths to an amazing angle of 80 degrees and can crush bones with a single bite. In relation to their size, they probably have the strongest grip of any vertebrate, comparable to the much larger saltwater crocodile. This allows them to bite off large pieces of meat and take them away to a secluded spot, where they can eat in peace, undisturbed by others.

QUADRUPLETS IN THE “INCUBATOR”
New-born devils (called “joeys”) weigh less than a quarter of a gram and resemble tiny embryos. They firmly attach themselves to the teats in the mother’s pouch, remaining there for several months. There are usually twenty or more siblings in a litter, but the mother only has four teats and therefore at most four of her offspring – those that have found a teat – survive the first few days.

FAST PACED LIFE
Little devils grow fast. From birth to adulthood they undergo a 15,000-fold weight gain! Once they are too big for the pouch, the mother starts leaving them in a den, to which she regularly returns to suckle them. If she needs to move her offspring, she takes them on her hips or back. At the age of nine months, the devils become independent, at the age of two they are fully mature, and at the age of six their life is usually over.