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If you spent most or at least half of your childhood watching cartoons, you’ve probably come across Taz from Looney Tunes at some point. However, he is not just any made-up character. Taz, a very endearing and infamous cartoon character, was designed after a Tasmanian Devil, one of the most unusual mammals found on the island Tasmania in Australia. Tasmanian devils are too marsupials, associated with kangaroos and koalas. These marsupials once settled on mainland Australia, as can be seen in fossils from about 3,000 years ago.
You might be thinking, who would give them such a spunky name when they’re not bigger than the size of a small dog? It turns out Tasmanian devils are fiercer than they look. They are known to become enraged when they are scared or protect meat and other carcasses. Tasmanian devils are depicted as snarling, often with their teeth bared, hair-raising growls, but each fierce snarl and high-pitched scream signifies their aim of establishing dominance over any bait or prey they feed on themselves. Which begs the questions: What do Tasmanian devils eat? Do they hunt their prey? And do they feed on humans?
What do Tasmanian devils eat?
Taz, as depicted in the animated show, has a voracious appetite, and he chews on other mammals like rabbits. Likewise, in real life Tasmanian devils are indeed carnivorous.
Tasmanian devils are carnivores that eat a wide variety of other living animals such as frogs, fish and insects. Their complete diet includes:
- frogs
- birds
- Fish
- Insects and other invertebrates
- wombats
- rabbits
- squirrels
- Macropods like wallabies and possums
In addition to hunting their prey, these marsupials also love to hunt for their food. As nocturnal and antisocial, devils prefer to stay hidden during the day, burrowing in tunnels, hollow logs, under rocks or caves, and emerge at night to eat or hunt prey. Their long whiskers allow them to evade predators and locate prey or carrion. There’s nothing these creatures don’t want to eat, and when they do, they’re voracious eaters who gobble up everything they come across, including hair, organs, and bone fragments. With their large heads and hefty bodies, Tasmanian devils may look slow and clumsy as they amble on, but they are Tasmania’s most ruthless predators. With powerful jaws and tearing teeth, devils can eat the entire cadaver, including the bones.
How do Tasmanian devils hunt and eat their prey?
Tasmanian devils often eat together in groups of carrion. When they are fighting for position on a large carcass, they are at their rawest. There is a lot of growling and screeching as they gather to eat carcasses, which is where most of the noise comes from. They are also known as gap eaters as they eat a lot of food at once. The tails of these marsupials, like those of other mammals, swell with fat when properly fed.
They are sometimes referred to as the “Australian Hyena” due to their intrusive scavenger habits and their bone-crushing bites. When not feeding, these mammals can finish off their live prey with powerful bites to the head, neck, or chest.
How Much Do Tasmanian Devils Eat?
Tasmanian devils eat on average every 3-8 days, and an adult devil with a body weight of 10 kg can eat up to 1 kg of food per day on average. As observed in Pemberton and Renouf’s A field study of Tasmanian devil communication and social behavior at feeding sites in 1993 they were observed to consume about 2.4 kg or 5.3 lbs of carcass in one feeding session lasting about 34 minutes on average. These marsupials can fill their bellies up to 40% of their own body weight in one meal session, especially if they don’t know where or when they will have their next meal.
What do Tasmanian devils eat?
Before they became extinct in the other parts of Australia, there are possibilities that thylacines or Tasmanian Tigers hunted them. Thylacines are large marsupials that used to live in parts of Australia, Tasmania and New Guinea. eagles and other large birds of prey such as owls can attack young devils if they come out of their burrows during the day. Young devils can be attacked by big ones falters also at night. Big devils can eat even smaller devils if they are hungry enough, and young devils climb so well to avoid bigger devils.
Are Tasmanian Devils Dangerous to Humans?
Tasmanian devils are generally not dangerous to humans. While their teeth can be sharp, their preference is to avoid humans. If provoked, they can attack people and cause damage. If threatened, a Tasmanian devil will emit a sound similar to a “yawn” indicating fear.
The short story is that as long as you don’t act aggressively or trap a Tasmanian devil they are very unlikely to be harmful!
How are Tasmanian devils beneficial to the environment?
While devils are known to feed on rotten meat, their presence in the environment provides a huge advantage by looking for sick or dead animals. Tasmanian devils can help control animals not native to Tasmania, such as those from mainland Australia red fox. While Tasmania is home to many devils, foxes have a hard time raising their young. Devils can easily detect fox dens because they are smelly and disorganized. Apart from this, the Tasmanian devil is probably the first thing that comes to mind when you think of things unique to Tasmania. These marsupials are a popular tourist attraction, with visitors traveling from far and wide to see them.
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