Devil in Your Dacks - By Quillian

Photo credit Tre Peterson

A Tasmanian devil is an animal that lives in Tasmania.  It is mostly black with white spots on its rump and chest.  As adults, these animals can weigh between 20 and 30 pounds.  They can grow up to about two and a half feet long.  They are best known for their very, very powerful jaws.

Wild devils live in wilderness areas such as, national parks and forests, but also in farm lands, coastlines, and sometimes even in the suburbs. They are also found all over the world in zoos and wildlife sanctuaries.  

Tasmanian devils got their name from early European settlers. These people thought they made scary screams, grunts, and growls that sounded evil.  When devils get excited or aggressive, blood rushes to their ears which makes them turn red.  Also, they have sharp teeth and powerful jaws. So the settlers thought they looked like demons or devils.

Tasmanian devils are marsupials. Their scientific name is sarcophilus harrisii, which means 

“Harris’s meat lover.” Harris is the name of the scientist that first described the Tasmanian devil. 

The female devils have pouches that they carry their young in. The pouch helps the mothers feed and protect their young. Four baby devils can drink milk at the same time. Female devils have more babies than they can feed. The first four babies to make it to her pouch for milk will survive. Baby devils stop drinking milk at six to seven months old. The mom leaves them in a den to start to fend for themselves. This usually happens in December.  

Devils eye sight is better in the dark than in the daytime. But their eyesight is not that great but they have a strong sense of smell. They have the most powerful jaws of any mammalian carnivore compared to their size. Their bite is so strong it can bend metal.

Devils are natural scavengers and eat a lot of dead animals. They also go hunting and eat frogs, lizards, insects or basically anything they can find. When a devil finds an animal, for instance a wallaby, they eat the bones, fur, and all.  

The early European settlers of Hobart didn’t like the devils because the devils ate their chickens. They thought the devils would attack other farm animals too. So, they began hunting the devils. In 1830, the Van Diemen's Land Company put up a reward for every devil killed on their property. The reward was two shillings and six pence (25 cents) for a male devil and three shillings and six pence (35 cents) for a female. The devils were shot and trapped for many years until they almost disappeared.  Some people thought the devils would go extinct like the Tasmanian tiger. It was only in 1941 that laws began protecting the devils. The devil population increased over the years. But now there is a new worry.  Many devils are dying because of a disease called devil facial tumor disease.  Scientists are working hard to find a cure and preservation programs like “Save the Devil” are working hard to save them from extinction.  

Devils play an important role by eating sick and dead animals. This helps to keep maggot populations down and the environment more healthy. They probably also help to control feral cats in Tasmania. By doing so, they help to protect other native species, particularly birds.  They can even help us control other animals that do not belong in Tasmanian, such as the red fox. This is an animal that is a big problem on Australia mainland. While there are many devils around, it is very difficult for foxes to breed in Tasmania. Fox dens are very smelly and messy, so devils can sniff them out easily and eat them.

Devils are also useful in other ways. They are one of the most popular animals in Tasmania.  Tourist come all the way around the world to see them.  Devils are so popular that sports teams and many products are named after them. For his birthday, we bought my dad some underwear with a Tasmanian devil on the front. The brand is called “Devil in your Dacks,”  ha, ha, ha.  

Ps. In Tasmania, “dacks” means trousers or pants.