Touching upon the topic of marsupials, one cannot bypass one of the most famous inhabitants of the island of Tasmania - the Tasmanian (Tasmanian) devil. Due to the black color, stocky powerful body, huge mouth with sharp teeth, terrible taste preferences and increased aggressiveness, the Europeans called this animal the "devil". And, you know, not in vain. Even in its Latin name there is something sinister - Sarcophilus translated as "lover of the flesh."



You can now find this devil only on the island of Tasmania, in the central, northern and western parts of the island. Although earlier it also inhabited mainland Australia, where it disappeared 400 years before the appearance of the first Europeans. But with the advent of Western people on the island, a struggle began with this animal. Although, probably, there was something for it - the Tasmanian devil widely traded in the ruin of chicken coops. I want to eat something. In addition, the meat of this animal, which tasted like veal, was to the liking of the local residents.



As a result of the extermination that began, marsupial devils were forced to settle in undeveloped forest and mountainous areas Tasmania. Its numbers continued to decline steadily. But apparently the lesson went to the benefit of people, and they came to their senses in time. In June 1941, a law was issued banning the hunting and destruction of this animal. The population has been restored. Now the Tasmanian devil is quite widespread in areas designated for sheep pastures (closer to places of food), as well as in national parks Tasmania.


The “devil” itself does not look like a devil at all. Unless the character is very bad, and he growls so that goosebumps run through. Currently, the Tasmanian devil is the largest marsupial predator. Previously, this status belonged to . It is about the size of a small dog, however, due to its dense squat body and dark, almost black, color with white spots on the throat and sides, it can resemble a brown bear cub.



Sleeping bear cub

The length of the body does not exceed 80 centimeters, followed by a 25-30 cm tail, sometimes thick and fluffy, and sometimes thin and naked. This part of the body is the devil's kind of "pantry" for fat. In a starving animal, it becomes thin and long hairs often fall out.


The limbs are strong and shortened. The front legs are slightly longer than the hind legs, which is uncharacteristic of marsupials. The head is big, and their jaws are generally separate story. They are so strong and powerful that the animal can easily bite and crush bones with them. The devil will easily bite through the spine or skull of his prey.


Powerful and strong jaws

The marsupial devil is very gluttonous and illegible in food. It feeds on almost everything: small and medium-sized animals, birds, insects, amphibians, snakes, plant tubers and edible roots. Carrion is also included in his diet, moreover, it is almost one of the main dishes. They eat any corpses, prefer already decomposed rotten meat. From the corpse of an animal, only the largest bones remain. Thus, the Tasmanian devil performs the function of the natural orderly of the island.



Dividing the booty

The female bears 2-4 cubs in her pouch. Although initially she brings up to 20-30 cubs, most of which die before reaching the bag. "Lucky" develop quickly, by the age of 3 months they are covered with wool and their eyes open. The feeding of the cubs continues until the age of 4-5 months, but after 7-8 months after birth, the children finally leave the mother and begin to live independently. Puberty in females occurs in the second year of life.


Female with cubs

These animals are nocturnal, and in the daytime they most often hide in crevices of stones, in empty burrows, or bushes, or arrange a nest for themselves from bark, leaves and grass. Sometimes they can be seen basking in the sun. At night, they go around their possessions in search of prey, most often they fell.



Devils are loners. They gather in small groups only when large prey is eaten. Sometimes during such feasts there are skirmishes between males, accompanied by fights with a frightening growl, which gave this animal a bad reputation.


But, despite its terrible character, some residents keep the marsupial devil as a pet. They are tameable, although it is worth doing it carefully and starting better with cubs, otherwise you can be left without fingers.



In a note about thylacine, we said that in addition to extermination by humans, this type of marsupial was attacked by dog ​​distemper, which claimed the lives of many animals. So do tasmanian devil disease appeared. It's called "Devil's Facial Disease" devil facial tumor disease or DFTD.

The disease was first reported in 1999. It causes numerous malignant tumors on the head of the animal, which then spread throughout the body. Tumors block the sight, hearing and mouth of the animal. It can no longer hunt and eat and is dying of hunger. The disease is caused by a virus transmitted to a healthy animal during fights and bites. According to sources, DFTD is unique to these animals and its outbreaks are repeated at intervals of 80-150 years.


Various anti-epidemic measures are being taken, including the capture of sick animals, as well as the creation of "reserve" populations in case the animal dies from this disease. Unfortunately, there is no cure for it yet.

There are few animals in the world named after evil spirits. In addition to the Tasmanian devil, one can only remember the fish " angler". 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 day dark night in the bushes there was a heart-rending cry of an unknown creature. 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, they began to destroy the Tasmanian devils everywhere and succeeded so much that to XIX century these animals survived 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 is a member of the order Marsupials. this moment is in it the most large predator. Even with their brethren in the order, 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 mustache makes it look like giant rat. This combination 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 along 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 big booty. 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. Besides tasmanian devils they 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 psychological attack, - to that 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. Bye the only way The only way to combat this virus is to remove infected individuals from wild populations.

Tasmanian devil cubs in their mother's pouch.

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

The first animal to appear on the island of Tasmania was the Tasmanian devil. This animal screamed terribly at night, was ferocious and had a large mouth with very sharp teeth, its hair was jet black, through all this the locals gave it such a name. After some time, they began to call him - marsupial devil.

The marsupial devil is- predatory marsupials. It belongs to the genus Sarcophilus, this animal is the only representative of its kind. Phylogenetic analysis confirmed that this animal is related to the quolls. In addition, he has family ties with a marsupial wolf. But this relationship is less pronounced than the connection with the quolls.

The marsupial devil is the leader in terms of body size among other predatory marsupials. This animal, which has a dark color and a heavy build, is very similar to a bear, but its size is not so big, it can be compared to an average dog. The size of the animal is affected by gender and age, and it depends on the characteristics of life and on how the animal eats and where it lives.

Tasmanian devil body length can range from fifty to eighty centimeters, while the length of the tail varies from twenty-three to thirty centimeters. Males are larger than females. Males are considered large when their height at the withers reaches thirty centimeters, and their weight is twelve kilograms.

The Tasmanian devil looks a little awkward, as it has a massive body and asymmetrical paws, which is uncharacteristic of marsupials. It is also very noticeable that in these animals the hind legs are shorter than the front ones, and they also lack thumbs. The claws on the paws are very strong and have a round shape.

The animal's head large and disproportionate, the muzzle is slightly blunt, and the ears are small and have pink color. Females have four nipples and a horseshoe-shaped pouch that forms in a leather fold.

This Tasmanian animal has a black coat. On the tail it is very long, and on the body it is rather short. Many representatives of this genus have a completely bare tail, as the hair on it is often wiped off. By looking at the tail, you can determine whether the animal is healthy, if it is healthy, then they have a short and thick tail, because it is in the tail that fat accumulates. If the animal is sick and starving, then the tail becomes thin and emaciated. White horseshoe-shaped spots are also present in the color, in most cases they are located on the chest and rump.

Tasmanian devil skull very massive, the teeth are large and sharp, and the jaw is very strong. This animal without the slightest difficulty grinds large bones. The predator's prey dies instantly, as it immediately bites its spine or skull.

Spread of the marsupial devil

Animals that exist now belong to an endangered species and live only on the island of Tasmania. This Tasmanian devil existed on Australian mainland even 600 years ago. There is a version that animals began to disappear after natives brought dingoes to the island. Dogs actively hunted the Tasmanian devil, and this was the reason for their disappearance even before the arrival of European settlers.

But the acquaintance of the animal with European settlers affected its safe life. These settlers mercilessly hunted the marsupial predator, which often visited their chicken coops. The aggressive mood of the people made the Tasmanian devil go far into the mountains and forests. Only the fact that, in 1941, it was forbidden to hunt this animal, makes it possible to see it in our time. Now, these wonderful animals live in the national parks of the island, and can safely appear on sheep pastures in different parts of Tasmania.

Lifestyle of the Tasmanian Devil

In relation to the landscape the animal is not picky at all. It can be stopped only by those areas where there are no forests or a lot of people live. He especially likes in sclerophyll forests and near the coastal savannah.

The Tasmanian devil can change its place of residence, since it is not tied to one territory. Each animal lives in that area where there is always food and it is not less than twenty square kilometers. This animal can afford to appear even in those territories that are marked by other animals.

They lead a solitary life. Gathered, only in cases where there is a large prey. But even in such a situation, each individual will show that it is more important and more important than all the others. When the animals gather, they make such a noise that it can be heard for several kilometers.

marsupial devil- nocturnal animal, during the day he likes to spend time in a safe place. It can be:

But if he is not in danger, then he lies down in the sun and warms himself. This occupation is very to his liking.

People think that this animal is very aggressive, because when it meets another animal or person, it instantly opens its mouth, which has sharp and very powerful teeth. But zoologists disagree with this, according to the experiments, they found out that this is not the aggression of the beast, but just fear and wonder. There is a fact that confirms this: when the Tasmanian devil is scared or alert, he secretes a substance that does not smell very pleasant, this is done for protection, this is also used by skunks. And also, it turned out that this animal can be tamed, predatory marsupials, can be turned into pets.

If needed, this beast can run at a gallop up to thirteen kilometers per hour, although at first glance they are very clumsy. All predatory animals swim very well, but with age, the activity of the animal decreases.

The Tasmanian devil has practically no enemies. The main predator that hunted them was the marsupial wolf, but it has long been gone, since their population has not survived. But predators like the tiger marsupial marten and big predator birds pose a threat to their lives.

Nutrition of the Tasmanian Devil

The Tasmanian devil is a very voracious animal. He can eat food, the volume of which becomes fifteen percent of his weight. But, when there is a lot of food and it suits his taste, he can eat much more than the norm. Their diet includes:

But the main food is carrion. Thanks to their sense of smell, the animal will quickly find the corpses of dead animals to the will. They eat almost all the carrion they find, they only dislike dead fish and sheep. The greatest pleasure for the animal is brought by carcasses that have had time to decompose and have been eaten by worms. Mostly on night hunting, they find the corpses of rats, wallabies, wombats, kangaroos and rabbits.

When a marsupial devil eats its prey, it eats it all with skin and bones, and does not select its individual parts. The fact that they feed on carrion is a big plus, since flies and larvae are destroyed along with the carcasses of dead animals, which, in turn, pose a threat to the health of sheep. Tasmanian devil eats everything he finds, namely:

  • heads of corn;
  • different foil; leather boots;
  • rubber;
  • small echidna needles;
  • kitchen towels.

Reproduction of the Tasmanian Devil

The female, which has reached the age of two, goes out in search of a male. Even when mating marsupial devils are very aggressive, because they are used to living alone and do not tolerate being in a team of their own kind. After three days staying together, the female drives the male away and this brings her great pleasure.

Pregnancy in a female marsupial devil lasts only three weeks. The offspring appears somewhere in late April or early May, since the mating season begins in late March or early April. The female gives birth to twenty cubs, which weigh no more than twenty-nine grams. But only four survive. The babies that do not survive are eaten by the female.

Tasmanian devils are born very small., but already at three months their eyes open and hair appears on the body, and at that time they weigh about two hundred grams. After a month, they can get out of the female's bag and explore the world on their own, but they feed on milk for the next two months.

The life expectancy of the marsupial devil becomes no more than eight years.

Animal diseases

The main disease in the Tasmanian devil is facial disease. For the first time such a disease became known in 1999. It manifests itself in the fact that many malignant tumors appear on the head of the animal, which eventually pass to the whole body. These tumors damage vision, hearing, and mouth. When sick, the animal will not be able to hunt and will die of starvation. Such a disease is transmitted to other animals of this genus, as it is caused by a virus.

To prevent healthy animals from becoming infected, sick individuals are captured.

medications for this terrible disease, currently does not exist.

Ecology

Main:

Tasmanian devils are the largest carnivorous marsupials in the world. Adults are about the size of an average dog and have stocky and muscular bodies. In length can reach 80 centimeters and weigh up to 12 kilograms.

Devils have black fur and white stripe on the chest. Usually they lead a hermit life, but sometimes they can unite in small flocks while eating the corpse of a large animal.

Unlike others marsupials of australia, Tasmanian devils can be active during the day, although they are nocturnal hunters. The devils were named after European explorers who heard their loud shrill cries and saw their ferocious nature during feeding and mating season.

According to research, the huge head and neck of the Tasmanian devils allows them to inflict the most powerful bite per unit body mass of any land-based predator, and their jaws are strong enough to bite through metal traps.

Despite the fact that the Tasmanian devils look fat, they are excellent at climbing trees and swimming across stormy rivers. Devils cannot run at high speeds to catch their prey, but they are hardy enough to run at 24 kilometers per hour for up to an hour.


Tasmanian devils feed on snake and bird meat, fish and insects. Their victims can be animals the size of small kangaroos. When hunting, Tasmanian devils rely on their sharp eyesight and excellent sense of smell. They are not particularly picky eaters and can eat all parts of an animal's body, including fur and bones. Sometimes the devils bury the carcasses of animals in the ground and then eat the carrion.

Female Tasmanian devils give birth after 3 weeks of pregnancy and give birth to 20-30 very tiny cubs. These pea-sized crumbs climb into the bag, but not everyone survives, since the mother has only 4 nipples. After 4 months of life in the bag, the evil devils crawl out of it, but are still dependent on the mother. At the age of 8 months, they begin to lead an independent life. AT wild nature The life expectancy of these animals is 7-8 years.

Habitats:

Once upon a time, Tasmanian devils lived throughout almost all of Australia, but today they live exclusively on the island of Tasmania. Researchers believe that devils disappeared from the mainland at the same time that native tribes spread across Australia, and wild dingo dogs appeared about 3,000 years ago.


Today, the Tasmanian devils, as the name implies, live on the island of Tasmania, but most of all these animals can be found in the wooded areas off the coast. In the 19th century, the Tasmanian devils began to be mercilessly exterminated, as local farmers viewed them as sworn enemies to their livestock. They almost died out, but timely measures taken to save these animals allowed them to increase their populations.

Guard status: an endangered species

Tasmanian devils became protected in 1941, but their population has declined by 60 percent over the past decade. Scientists believe that the reason for the decline in the number of animals is mainly an infectious, deadly form of cancer that infects devils and spreads very quickly. Tumors form on the face of the devils, so it becomes more difficult for the animals to eat. The problem of the devils is also the traffic on the roads.


Tasmanian devils have been known to start eating dead animals from their digestive system, as these are the softest organs.

Devils can eat food weighing 5-10 percent of their weight per day own body, and even more if they are very hungry. Given the opportunity, the devil can eat food that is 40 percent of his weight, and in record time - in half an hour.

The devils have several natural enemies. Smaller individuals can fall prey to eagles, owls, and even their relative, the spotted-tailed marsupial marten.

These animals can exude a disgusting odor when under stress.

Animals can open their mouths very wide when they want to express fear or indecision. To challenge another devil "to a duel", animals make shrill sounds.

In the tail of a healthy devil there are good reserves of fat, so the tails of sick animals are very thin and flabby.

Latin name for animals Sarcophilus laniarius literally means "meat lover Harris" named after the researcher who first described the Tasmanian devil.