9.5.3 Tasmanian devils and Tasmanian Tigers [KB]
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This article is from the soc.culture.australian FAQ, by Stephen Wales with numerous contributions by others.
9.5.3 Tasmanian devils and Tasmanian Tigers [KB]
The Tasmanian Devil population is relatively large and is on the
whole very healthy. There is some problem with a heartworm type
parasite which has (of course) originated from introduced
species. The government authority is aware of this and are
maintaining close watch and quarantine on infected groups. It
shouldn't be too great a problem. Tasmanian Devils are a quasi
animal emblem some suggest ambassador for the state so any threat
to their survival is taken very seriously.
A bit about the TD, they do hunt, even climb trees, but generally
prefer to consume carrion aka dead wallabies, livestock, etc.
The TD species appears to one of the few natives that actually
have thrived and increased in population with the arrival of
European man. Especially now we have a brutally efficient means
of producing carrion aka the motor vehicle which leaves plenty of
road kill for the devils. We also have the tendency to aggregate
large numbers of live food such as hens and sheep for the devils
to maraud occasionally.
Historically the devils used to follow the now extinct Tasmanian
Tiger. Looked much more like a large dog actually.The TT was a
notoriously inefficient hunter which just used to lay in wait for
prey and lunge onto them as they passed, normally only managing
to wound them and then tracking the animal until it was so weak
from blood loss etc that it was able to be slaughtered. It is
suggested that the TT would then feed off its kill until the
devils arrived on masse and drove it away. Consequently when
European man arrived with their sheep the TT soon adapted to this
new abundant and tractable food source and got a reputation for
killing livestock. In my opinion the new settlers own dogs were
much more likely to have killed most of the livestock, they still
do. As history will show the government of the day reacted to the
hysteria about the TT and offered a sizable bounty for each TT
scalp. The last known TT died in captivity in 1933.
[AT]
Two large marsupial carnivores found their last refuge in Tasmania. The
Thylacine and the Tasmanian Devil disappeared from mainland Australia
within the last few thousand years probably because of competition with
the Dingo after it was brought to Australia by man. The Dingo never
reached Tasmania.
The Thylacine's similarity to a large dog is why it was sometimes called
the Tasmanian Wolf, its stripes led to it also being called the Tasmania
Tiger. Its main prey are thought to have been kangaroos and wallabies.
Alleged predation on sheep led to a long campaign government-funded
persecution but its rapid decline at the start of this century may have
been also caused by disease. The last known Thylacine died in Hobart
Zoo in the 1930s. Unsubstantiated sighting still occur, including on
the mainland but many believe the Thylacine is extinct.
The Tasmanian Devil is much smaller - roughly similar in body shape to a
Corgi. Its prey ranges from invertebrates to mammals larger than
itself. It prefers carrion which its powerful jaws are well adapted to
consuming. Tasmanian Devils are not endangered. They occur throughout
Tasmania perhaps in larger numbers than when Europeans arrived.
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