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The Tasmanian Devil. Where does the Tasmanian Devil live?. They are found in the wild only in Australia in the state of Tasmania. They are carnivorous or meat eaters. They are marsupials (just like kangaroos). They are the size of a small dog. Right here. What do they look like?.
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Where does the Tasmanian Devil live? • They are found in the wild only in Australia in the state of Tasmania. • They are carnivorous or meat eaters. • They are marsupials (just like kangaroos). • They are the size of a small dog. Right here
What do they look like? • It is characterized by its stocky and muscular build, black fur, pungent odor, extremely loud and disturbing screech, keen sense of smell, and ferocity when feeding. The Tasmanian devil's large head and neck allow it to generate the strongest bite per unit body mass of any living mammal.
What do they eat? • The devil hunts prey and scavenges carrion (dead flesh) • Small birds • Reptiles • Rodents • Insects • Other small mammals • They use their whiskers to help them locate prey in the dark.
What are their breeding habits? • Males fight one another for the females. • Females average four breeding seasons in their life and give birth to 20–30 live young. • The young grow rapidly and are ejected from the pouch after around 100 days.
The Tasmanian Devil is endangered. • Since the late 1990s, devil facial tumor disease has drastically reduced the Tasmanian devil population and now threatens the survival of the species.
What is devil facial tumor disease? • It is a parasitic cancer that affects the devils. • The first official case was found in 1996. • Over the next decade the devil population decreased 20-50%.
Are they aggressive? • Tasmanian Devils by nature are not aggressive until it comes to food. Then they are protective of their find and will kill even to the extent of killing another Devil that wants its catch. • These fights result in many a Tasmanian Devil having bald patches of missing fur and appearing battle-scarred.
What other behaviors do they have? • Tasmanian Devils are very loud especially when there are a number of them at the one carcass, trying to scare each other off. They have a range of sound, from barks to snorts to growling to screaming. This screaming and their fierce looks gave birth to their "Devil" name.
What are the dangers to the Tasmanian Devil? Tasmanian Devils are often hit by cars as they feed on road killed animals, and they are losing parts of their habitat due to humans increasing use of their environment. Accidents and disease also account for some losses, and many juvenile devils are attacked by adult Devils.