SCIENTIFIC AND COMMON NAME
Most people associate the Tasmanian devil with a Looney Tunes cartoon, but the real Tasmanian devil is much more interesting, and not nearly as cute. It is the largest surviving carnivorous marsupial from the Dasyuridaen family and it is an endangered species. The Tasmanian devil’s scientific name is Sarcophilus harrisii and it belongs to the animal kingdom. It is a mammal that is part of the chordata phylum and its genus is sarcophilus. The Tasmanian devil is a fascinating creature who populates many pieces of fiction around the world.
ECOSYSTEM AND LOCATION
Tasmanian devils live in only one place in the world, the island of Tasmania in Australia. They prefer to live on the coastal scrublands and forests. They…show more content… Its fur is either brown or black, and most devils have a patch or stripe of white on their chest and backend. Unlike other marsupials, the Tasmanian devil has longer hind legs than front legs. The Tasmanian devil is the largest marsupial in the world, and can grow as long as 30 inches and weigh as much as 26 pounds. Tasmanian devils are known to be solitary animals that spend most of their waking hours alone. They are irritable animals that can easily get angered and may look like maniacs when they are defending themselves, their mates, or their food. They have very sharp teeth and strong jaws which give them the ability to bite harder than any other mammal. They have unusually large heads to hold their extremely dangerous mouths. They also have exceptionally sharp claws which help them dig underground for food and hold onto prey. Their whiskers are long and give them an excellent sense of smell. Due to their sense of smell and exceptional eyesight, they are able to detect predators or prey with ease. When they are approached by a predator, they will usually yawn and pretend to be unafraid so as to deter the attacker. Although they do not usually threaten humans, most people would not want to confront a Tasmanian…show more content… The devil used to populate the entire mainland of Australia, but it was killed out by dingoes and the original settlers of Australia. Soon after, the dingoes were removed to protect the livestock, but this opened up another problem. Australia was now missing an important predator, and this allowed foxes and feral cats to multiply all over Australia. These predators posed a perilous threat to the livestock, as well as to native Australian mammals. Fortunately, there was an answer to this problem, the Tasmanian devil. Scientists believe that devils play an important role in controlling the spread of foxes and feral cats. The devils attack the foxes’ young, destroying the problem before it even starts. Devils are also natures “cleaning crew”. They eat all sick, slow, diseased, and dead animals. On the whole, devils are important factors in Australia’s ecosystem.
Tasmanian devils also participate in an interesting symbiotic relationship. There is a special tapeworm called the Dasyurotaenia robusta which only exists in the Tasmanian devil. Their relationship is called parasitism. The tapeworm gets its nutrients from the devil, while the devil gets nothing in return. The Dasyurotaenia robusta is also now considered an endangered species due to the decrease in the devil
