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 the Tasmanian devil got his own disease. 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.

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 little bear: front legs slightly longer than the hind legs, big head, 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, then, inhabiting coastal savannas, 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 fallen tree, arranging nests from leaves, bark and grass. He likes to walk along the shore of the reservoir, eating the surrounding frogs, crayfish and other small ones. aquatic life. 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.

Representing scavengers, the Tasmanian devil plays essential role in the Tasmanian ecosystem, significantly reducing the likelihood 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.

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 canter, 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 - viper 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 their 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 the fossil remains showed, he used to live in Australia, like the second marsupial predator - the marsupial wolf, but was forced out of there in old 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 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 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.

The Tasmanian devil is a marsupial animal, in some sources even the name "marsupial devil" is found. This mammalian animal got its name for the ominous cries that it emits at night.

The rather ferocious nature of the animal, its mouth with large, sharp teeth, its love of meat, only consolidated the unflattering name. Tasmanian devil, by the way, is related to the marsupial wolf, which has long since died out.

In fact, the appearance of this beast is not at all repulsive, but, on the contrary, quite cute, resembling either a dog or a small one. Body size depends on nutrition, age and habitat, most often, this animal is 50-80 cm, but larger individuals are also found. females fewer males, and males reach a weight of up to 12 kg.

The Tasmanian devil is able to bite the spine of its victim with one bite.

The animal has a strong skeleton, a large head with small ears, the body is covered with short black hair with a white spot on the chest. The devil's tail is especially interesting. This is a kind of storage for body fat. If the animal is full, then its tail is short and thick, but when the devil is hungry, then his tail becomes thin.

If we consider Pictures with picture tasmanian devil, then a feeling of a cute, glorious animal is created, which is pleasant to cuddle and scratch behind the ear.

However, do not forget that this cutie is able to bite his victim's skull or spine with one bite. The bite force of the devil is considered the highest among mammals. Tasmanian devil- marsupial animal, therefore, in front of the females there is a special fold of skin, which turns into a bag for the cubs.

For interesting and peculiar sounds, the animal was called the devil

From the name it is already clear that the beast is common on the island of Tasmania. Previously, this marsupial animal could also be found in, but biologists believe that dogs completely exterminated the devil.

The man also played last role- he killed this animal for the destroyed chicken coops. The number of the Tasmanian devil was declining until a ban on hunting was introduced.

Character and lifestyle

The devil is not a big fan of companies. He prefers to lead a solitary life. During the day, this animal hides in bushes, in empty burrows, or simply burrows into foliage. The devil is a great master of hiding.

During the day, it is impossible to notice, and to capture the Tasmanian devil on video is a great success. And only with the onset of darkness begins to wake up. Every night this beast walks around its territory to find something to eat.

For each such "owner" of the territory, there is a fairly decent area - from 8 to 20 km2. It happens that the paths of different "owners" intersect, then you have to defend your territory, and the devil has something to do.

True, if it comes across big booty, and one beast cannot overpower it, brothers can connect. But such joint meals are so noisy and scandalous that the screams of the tasmanian devils can be heard even for several kilometers.

The devil generally uses sounds very widely in his life. He can growl, bark and even cough. And his wild, piercing cries not only forced the first Europeans to give the animal a kind of sonorous sound to them, but also led to the fact that about the tasmanian devil told terrible stories.

Hear the tasmanian devil cry

This beast has a rather angry temperament. With his relatives and with other representatives of the fauna, the devil is quite aggressive. When meeting with rivals, the animal opens its mouth wide, showing serious teeth.

But this is not a way of intimidation, this gesture shows the uncertainty of the devil. Another sign of insecurity and anxiety is a strong unpleasant odor that devils emit in the same way as.

However, due to his unkind nature, the devil has very few enemies. Dingo dogs hunted them, but the devils chose places where the dogs are uncomfortable. Young marsupial devils can still become prey for large birds, but adults are no longer able to do so. But the enemy of the devils was an ordinary fox, which was brought to Tasmania illegally.

Interestingly, adult devils are not very dexterous and mobile, rather clumsy. However, this does not prevent them from critical situations reach speeds up to 13 km / h. But young individuals are much more mobile. They can even climb trees with ease. It is known that this animal swims miraculously.

Tasmanian devil food

Very often, the Tasmanian devil can be seen near livestock pastures. This can be explained simply - herds of animals leave behind fallen, weakened, wounded animals, which go to the devil's food.

If such an animal cannot be found, the animal feeds small mammals, birds, reptiles, insects and even plant roots. The devil has to eat a lot, because his diet is 15% of his own weight per day.

Therefore, its main diet is carrion. The devil's sense of smell is too well developed, and he easily finds the remains of all kinds of animals. After the supper of this beast, there is nothing left - meat, skin, and bones are used as food. He does not disdain meat "with a smell", it even attracts him more. Needless to say, what a natural orderly this animal is!

Reproduction and lifespan

The aggressiveness of the devil does not subside even in mating season. In March, early April, pairs are created in order to conceive offspring, however, these animals do not observe any moments of courtship.

Even at the moments of mating, they are aggressive and pugnacious. And after mating has taken place, the female drives the male away in anger in order to spend the pregnancy alone - 21 days.

Nature itself controls the number of devils. The mother has only 4 nipples, and about 30 cubs are born. They are all small and helpless, their weight does not even reach a gram. Those that manage to cling to the nipples survive and remain in the bag, while the rest die, they are eaten by the mother herself.

After 3 months, the babies become covered with wool, by the end of the 3rd month their eyes open. Of course, compared to kittens or rabbits, this is too long, but the babies of the devil do not need to "grow up", they leave the mother's pouch only by the 4th month of life, when their weight is about 200 grams. True, the mother still continues to feed them up to 5-6 months.

In the photo, the cubs of the Tasmanian devil

Only in the second year of life, towards the end, the devils become fully grown and can breed. In nature, Tasmanian devils do not live longer than 8 years. It is known that these animals are very popular, both in Australia and abroad.

Despite their grumpy disposition, they are well tamed, and many keep them as pets. On the Internet you can find many tasmanian devil photo in home environment.

The Tasmanian Devil is an excellent swimmer and runner.

The unusualness of this animal is so mesmerizing that there are many who want to buy tasmanian devil. However, export of these animals is strictly prohibited.

Highly rare zoo can boast of such a valuable specimen. And is it worth depriving this grouchy, restless, angry, and yet wonderful inhabitant of nature of freedom and habitual habitat.

The first animal to appear on the island of Tasmania was 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.

Born tasmanian devils 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, on the this moment does not exist.