"Teaching people about the world in which we live."
"Teaching people about the world in which we live."
This interesting, little hunter once lived on the Australian mainland. Farmers and ranchers feared that the Tasmanian Devil would wipe out their animals. As a result, this creature was exterminated on the mainland. However, the Tasmanian Devil can still be found on the Island of Tasmania, south of mainland Australia.
The Tasmanian Devil looks like a small bear, but is the size of a badger. The adult size is 20 – 31 in.. It weighs 9 – 26 lb.. It has a large head and a stout body covered with coarse, jet-black fur with white spots. The Devil’s jaws are so strong that it can bite through bone. When it’s done eating, there are no leftovers.
The Tasmanian devil prefers to live alone in a burrow, dense undergrowth, or a hollow log. Tasmanian Devils usually do not fight each other, unless it is over food. They like to hunt at night. The Tasmanian Devils diet includes; rodents, lizards, wallabies, sheep and chickens. They have a superior immune system, which allows them to eat dead animals that have already begun to rot. Tasmanian Devils are excellent scavengers.
The Tasmanian Devil is a member of the marsupial family. Like other marsupials, the babies are born smaller than your thumb. They are totally helpless and cannot survive outside of the mother’s pouch for the first several months. While in the mother’s pouch, the baby drinks her milk. A marsupial mother is on duty continuously; the babysitting option does not exist.
I hope you enjoyed reading about this amazing and remarkable creature. I know I have enjoyed learning about the Tasmanian Devil.
