Quick Facts
- Type
- Mammal
- Size
- Body 50–65 cm long, plus a 25 cm tail
- Weight
- 6–12 kg
- Habitat
- Forest, woodland and coastal scrub of Tasmania
- Diet
- Carnivore — mainly carrion, plus small mammals, birds and insects
- Active Time
- Nocturnal
- Lifespan
- Around 5–6 years in the wild
- The Tasmanian devil has one of the strongest bites for its body size of any living mammal and can crush and eat bone.
- When stressed or threatened its ears flush bright red and it lets out an unearthly screech, which gave the animal its name.
- It is endangered largely because of Devil Facial Tumour Disease, a contagious cancer spread through biting.
About the Tasmanian Devil
The Tasmanian devil is the world's largest surviving carnivorous marsupial, found only on the Australian island of Tasmania. Compact, black-furred and famously bad-tempered, it is best known for its bone-crushing bite, blood-curdling screeches and frenzied communal feeding on carrion. Despite its ferocious reputation it is largely a scavenger, using one of the strongest bites of any mammal to consume entire carcasses, bones and all. Females carry their young in a backward-facing pouch. The species is endangered, devastated by Devil Facial Tumour Disease, a rare contagious cancer spread when the animals bite one another during feeding and mating disputes.
Keep exploring
Related animals
Red Fox
Capybara
Malayan Tapir
African Bush Elephant
Bengal Tiger
Giant Panda
Sunda Pangolin
Narwhal
Giraffe
Sea Otter
Red Panda
European Hedgehog
Or spin for another random animal on the explorer, or browse all species in the full directory.