Characteristics of the Tasmanian Devil: Physical characteristics, behaviour and habitat
Characteristics:
Physical characteristics:
They have black or incredibly dark brown fur covering their whole body, apart from a ridge or streak of white fur, directly placed horizontally on their chest. Fully grown Tasmanian Devils can weigh from roughly 4.5-12 kg. Their body usually grows up to 50-80 cm. Their tail can grow up to 20-30 cm, and they can be as tall as 30-40 cm, standing. Their average lifespan in the wild is 5 years. Living under human care, they could live to be much older.
Tasmanian Devils have strongly built jaws and extremely sharp pointy teeth, and this assists them in eating every part of the carcass from the carrion they scavenge.
Adaptations:
The Tasmanian Devil has adapted well, surviving adequately in it's harsh environment.
The Tasmanian Devil is nocturnal animal (it sleeps during the day and is awake at night), and it does it's hunting during the night. Tasmanian Devils have strong jaws and claws, designed to hunt, eat and fight. The darkness of the night protects it from many predators, and it's dark fur also helps it to camouflage in it's environment.
All the adaptations of the Tasmanian Devil whether physical, behavioural or functional, there is no doubt that all factors greatly contribute to the survival of the Tasmanian Devil in the wild.
Predators:
The Tasmanian Devil does not have many natural predators, but the biggest predator to the Tasmanian Devils is the fox. However, smaller specimens may fall prey to eagles, owls and spotted tail quolls.
Physical characteristics:
They have black or incredibly dark brown fur covering their whole body, apart from a ridge or streak of white fur, directly placed horizontally on their chest. Fully grown Tasmanian Devils can weigh from roughly 4.5-12 kg. Their body usually grows up to 50-80 cm. Their tail can grow up to 20-30 cm, and they can be as tall as 30-40 cm, standing. Their average lifespan in the wild is 5 years. Living under human care, they could live to be much older.
Tasmanian Devils have strongly built jaws and extremely sharp pointy teeth, and this assists them in eating every part of the carcass from the carrion they scavenge.
Adaptations:
The Tasmanian Devil has adapted well, surviving adequately in it's harsh environment.
The Tasmanian Devil is nocturnal animal (it sleeps during the day and is awake at night), and it does it's hunting during the night. Tasmanian Devils have strong jaws and claws, designed to hunt, eat and fight. The darkness of the night protects it from many predators, and it's dark fur also helps it to camouflage in it's environment.
All the adaptations of the Tasmanian Devil whether physical, behavioural or functional, there is no doubt that all factors greatly contribute to the survival of the Tasmanian Devil in the wild.
Predators:
The Tasmanian Devil does not have many natural predators, but the biggest predator to the Tasmanian Devils is the fox. However, smaller specimens may fall prey to eagles, owls and spotted tail quolls.
Eating Habits:
The Tasmanian Devil is unique in that they are the largest carnivorous marsupial in Tasmania.
The Tasmanian Devils are mostly active during the night. In the night when they’re awake they can travel long distances, up to 8 km, looking for food. They follow the trails the other Devils take, and they lead to food. Tasmanian Devils sometimes have territories that overlap, so when large carcasses are available as food a large number of devils will group together to feed. These feeding sessions can often become extremely noisy when they growl and bite as they compete for food.
Their diet includes possums, wallabies and wombats, insects such as moths, fish that have been washed up ashore, and sometimes scavenge dead animals, like cattle or sheep. By doing this the Devils are cleaning up the bushland, because they are removing the dead animals and effectively stop the carcasses from rotting and attracting blow flies which then lie larvae. Tasmanian Devils play a very important role in the ecosystem by eating carcasses, but they are getting wiped out from Facial Tumour Cancer, proving this to be a problem because if they were to completely die out then the ecosystem would be out of order.
The Tasmanian Devil is unique in that they are the largest carnivorous marsupial in Tasmania.
The Tasmanian Devils are mostly active during the night. In the night when they’re awake they can travel long distances, up to 8 km, looking for food. They follow the trails the other Devils take, and they lead to food. Tasmanian Devils sometimes have territories that overlap, so when large carcasses are available as food a large number of devils will group together to feed. These feeding sessions can often become extremely noisy when they growl and bite as they compete for food.
Their diet includes possums, wallabies and wombats, insects such as moths, fish that have been washed up ashore, and sometimes scavenge dead animals, like cattle or sheep. By doing this the Devils are cleaning up the bushland, because they are removing the dead animals and effectively stop the carcasses from rotting and attracting blow flies which then lie larvae. Tasmanian Devils play a very important role in the ecosystem by eating carcasses, but they are getting wiped out from Facial Tumour Cancer, proving this to be a problem because if they were to completely die out then the ecosystem would be out of order.
Breeding:
Tasmanian Devils only mate once per year, between February and June, from late summer to early winter. 21 days or 3 weeks after mating the female Devil can give birth to over 20 babies! After that it is a battle of survival for the babies which compete with each other to latch onto one of only four teats in their mother’s pouch, which faces backwards, like that of a wombat’s. Then the Devil babies (called joeys) stay in their mother’s pouch for 4 months until they are completely covered in fur. After they reach that stage in their lives they are left in the den while their mother searches for food to feed her and her babies.
Tasmanian Devils only mate once per year, between February and June, from late summer to early winter. 21 days or 3 weeks after mating the female Devil can give birth to over 20 babies! After that it is a battle of survival for the babies which compete with each other to latch onto one of only four teats in their mother’s pouch, which faces backwards, like that of a wombat’s. Then the Devil babies (called joeys) stay in their mother’s pouch for 4 months until they are completely covered in fur. After they reach that stage in their lives they are left in the den while their mother searches for food to feed her and her babies.
Habitat:
The Tasmanian Devil lives across Tasmania. They used to live all over mainland, but predators and other threats pushed them out of their home to Tasmania. They live almost everywhere in Tasmania, anywhere they can locate a den to sleep in during the day and food when they are awake at night. They are usually found in dry Sclerophyll forests, coastal areas and areas where there is agriculture in practice.
The Tasmanian Devil lives across Tasmania. They used to live all over mainland, but predators and other threats pushed them out of their home to Tasmania. They live almost everywhere in Tasmania, anywhere they can locate a den to sleep in during the day and food when they are awake at night. They are usually found in dry Sclerophyll forests, coastal areas and areas where there is agriculture in practice.