Tasmanian Devil

What was the last thing you searched for online? Why were you looking for it?

This is a funny question that I’m glad was asked. We were watching a documentary last night about the Tasmanian devil, an animal that only lives in Tasmania, Australia. You may know of it from the famous Warner Bros Looney Tunes series.

This animal used to live across mainland Australia thousands of years ago, but disappeared there around 3,000 years ago. Scientists believe this was due to competition with dingoes (which never made it to Tasmania), along with climate changes and human activity.

So now, the Tasmanian devil is endemic to Tasmania, meaning it is native there and nowhere else in the wild.

I was searching online to see what these creatures eat. I was thinking / hoping maybe they lived on berries etc but I know they have sharp teeth and claws. Here is what I discovered –

Tasmanian devils are carnivorous scavengers and hunters.

Their diet mainly consists of:

Carrion (dead animals): They’ll eat roadkill, livestock carcasses, or any remains they come across. Native animals: Wallabies, wombats, possums, birds, reptiles, and insects. Farm animals (if available): Chickens, sheep, or cattle carrion.

They are famous for eating almost the entire animal, i.e. flesh, fur, bones, and organs, thanks to their incredibly strong jaws and teeth. This makes them very efficient at cleaning up the environment. That’s a plus!

They are mostly scavengers, but they can hunt live prey if it’s small or weak. There you go. Have you ever heard of these animals? I have only seen them at the zoo here in Australia and on tv. They may appear cute but they can be aggressive, so beware the mighty Tasmanian Devil!