Tasmanian devil
Sarcophilus harrisii
— Where the name comes from
Sarcophilus is Greek for “flesh lover”, from sárx, flesh, and phílos, friend; harrisii honours the naturalist George Harris, who described it in 1807. “Devil” was pinned on it by the first colonists for the blood-curdling calls it makes at night and for the face that flushes red with anger. It is the largest living carnivorous marsupial.
— Facts
- Group
- Mammals · Mammalia
- Order
- Carnivorous marsupials
- Habitat
- Forest, sclerophyll scrub, coastal grassland
- Range
- The island of Tasmania, Australia
- Size
- 52–80 cm of body, 4–12 kg
- Diet
- Carnivore and scavenger — carcasses, small mammals, birds
- Lifespan
- 5–8 years
— Characteristics
- 01
For its size it has one of the most powerful bites among mammals: it grinds through bone and cartilage.
- 02
It eats prey entire, fur and bones included, leaving almost nothing.
- 03
Its ears flush red when it is agitated, hence the “devilish” look.
— What sets it apart
The Tasmanian devil is threatened by one of the very few contagious cancers in the world: a facial tumour passed literally from animal to animal through bites, when they scrap over food or during mating. The tumour cells themselves move from one individual to another like a parasite. The disease has wiped out most of the population, but some devils are evolving resistance in real time: evolution watched while it happens.
