What do Tasmanian Devils eat?
Once found all over mainland Australia, the Tasmanian Devil is now
found only in the forest areas and National parks of Tasmania - the
island state of Australia. The Tasmanian Devil used to live in the
Australian mainland some 600 years ago but the animals were hunted down
by the early settlers and were pushed to extinction.
The name Tasmanian Devil was given after Deputy Surveyor and Naturalist
George Harris first described the animal in 1807. Their loud growl and
screech at the time of feasting on carcasses earned it the name ‘Devil.’
The early settlers thought their screech sounded like devils howling in
the night.
Where do they live?
It is the largest surviving carnivorous marsupial of Australia.
Mainly found in the northern, eastern and central Tasmania, the habitat
of the Devil is wooded countryside, in forests and near the outer
suburbs of many towns.
How do they look?
The Tasmanian Devils’ look is similar to that of a black baby bear.
It also has a white mark on its chest. The adult Devils have heads and
necks, which are too big for their body weight.
Eating habits of the Devils
Though they are carnivorous, the Devils are not very good at hunting.
Otherwise, known as the ‘vacuum cleaners’ of the forests, the Devils
mainly feed on dead meat. They simply wipe out everything from meat,
bones, fur to the internal organs of the carcasses.
The Tasmanian Devils are nocturnal animals and they mostly feed on the
carcasses. Their dietary habits are similar to that of the hyenas. The
powerful jaws and teeth of the Devils help them to devour their prey
completely.
What do they eat?
Their food habit includes preys of different sizes ranging from tiny
insects to large wallabies. Various small mammals and birds, reptiles
and amphibians, insects and even sea squirt, small kangaroos, possums
form their meal. They are usually scavengers but modern research
suspects that occasionally they also eat fresh meat of smaller animals.
At times, when food is not available, they are known to steal eggs of
birds. The Tasmanian Devils eat whatever food is available.
Their feeding habits
Tasmanian Devils are known for their disorderly communal feeding and
spine chilling howls, which are made by the Devils to establish
dominance amongst the pack. The Devils do not fight when eating - they
simply keep making growls and screeching sounds, which can be heard
nearly12 kilometres away.
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