History and Distribution of Tasmania Devils
Tasmanian Devil, inhabits the mainland of Tasmania - the island state
of Australia. These are solitary nocturnal creatures, which scavenge
during the night and feed on carrions. The spine-chilling screeches they
make while feeding have earned them the name ‘Devils.’
How do they look like?
These animals are carnivorous in nature with a large square head and
a long fat tail. The Devils store all the body fat in its tail, which
makes half the length of these animals. The forequarters of the Devils
are heavy whereas the hindquarters are weak. The black fur is printed
with white patches along the chest and the rump region. The Devils with
vaguely bear-like appearances weigh up to 12 kilograms and measures 50
to 80. The male Devils are larger than their female counterparts. The
gaping jaws and the strong teeth with its husky snarl and bad temper
have resulted in their Devilish expression.
Food habit of Tasmanian Devils
Though larvae of certain beetles form the principal source of live
food of the Devils, attacking poultry is often done by the Devils. From
reptiles to amphibians to birds and small mammals, all form the food of
the Tasmanian Devils.
Where are the Devils found?
The Devils are found in the coast, mountains and cold wet to warm dry
areas of northern, eastern and central Tasmania. They even live in
coastal heath, mixed Sclerophyll-rainforest as well as open dry
Sclerophyll forest.
Extinction from the Australian mainland
Earlier the Devils were found all over Australia but now they have
been completely wiped out from mainland Australia. Fossils of these
animals are found all over the country-continent. It is believed that
these animals were a nuisance to the early settlers of Hobart Town, and
mainly raided poultry yards. The Van Dieman’s Land Co. in the year 1830
introduced a bounty scheme for the culling of Devils along with other
animals from their north-west properties.
Reason for recent drop in population of the Devils
There has been a striking decrease in the number of Tasmanian Devils
living in Tasmania since 1996. From years 1996 to 1997, the figure of
more than 150,000 Devils was reduced by more than 50%. The reason is a
deadly contagious cancer called Devil Facial Tumour Disease or DFTD,
which has taken a massive toll on the population of the Tasmanian
Devils. This cancer produces large tumours around the head and mouth of
the Devils and it interferes with the Devil’s ability to eat thus
resulting in starvation followed by death.
Within three months of developing the disease, the animals usually die.
This disease has caused death in huge numbers, which compelled the
government officials to list the animals as an endangered species in May
2008.
Researches are being carried out to find out the origin and cause of the
cancer. Scientists are making the speculation that the disease is caused
by infectious cells of the Devils, which are transferred from one
another when the animals bite each other. The immune system of the
Devils fails to recognize the cancer cells as foreign. If the affected
Tasmanian Devils are not culled or kept in isolation then the entire
population of Devils might become extinct within the next five years.
How do we prevent the Tasmanian Devils from becoming extinct?
In order to prevent the Tasmanian Devils from becoming extinct one of
the major steps would be to Quarantine the population of healthy
Tasmanian Devils. The possibility of captive breeding programs and
establishing healthy populations on nearby islands are also being
thought of by the researchers.
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