Tasmanian Devil
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Sarcophilus harrisii
"Harris's flesh-lover"

Male: 652mm in length, tail 258mm, weight 9kg. Black all over with white markings on chest and rump.

Females: Similar in apprearance to males. 570mm in length, tail 244mm, weight 7kg.
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The Tasmanian Devil is the largest of the living marsupial carnivores. It resembles a small robust dog and has incredibly powerful jaws, however despite its appearance and reputation it is a shy animal. The Devil is restricted to Tasmania but is common throughout the island in its preferred habitat of forests and woodlands with areas of open grassland. It has also been seen close to outer city suburban areas. The Devil becomes active at dusk, foraging and scavenging til dawn with a large part of its diet being carrion. Devils usually den in borrows concealed in wooded terrain and my use several dens in its home range of 8 - 20 square kilometres. Ranges may overlap extensively with other individuals. Mating is promiscuous but highly synchronised, occurring in March with births in April (in the wild). Females produce an average of thirty eggs although there are only four teats. The young are carried in a shallow, backward facing pouch until around August when the fully furred young are left in a den. They start to roam away from the den around November and become independent in February when around forty weeks old. Mortality is high in the first year of independent life. Most females breed when two years old and both sexes grow to adult size by tow to three years of age. Males (not females) disperse from the natal area. The Tasmanian Devil lives for approximately six years in the wild.