Mammals · Dasyuromorphia · Dasyuridae
Tasmanian Devil
Sarcophilus harrisii
It faces a very high risk of extinction in the wild in the near future. See full glossary
It is the largest living carnivorous marsupial in the world, with one of the strongest bites for its size of any mammal.
Weight
5 kg – 14 kg
Size
57 cm – 65 cm
Lifespan
5 years
Diet
Carnivore
Feeds mainly on other animals.
Activity
Nocturnal
Active mainly at night.
Social structure
Solitary
Lives and hunts alone, joining others only to breed.
Sighting difficulty
Hard
Fun facts
- Its wild population has been devastated by devil facial tumour disease (DFTD), one of only three transmissible cancers known in the animal world.
- It feeds mainly on carrion, along with small mammals, birds and reptiles it catches itself.
- Only 2 to 4 of the 20-30 young born survive, limited by the number of teats in the mother's pouch.
- fisiologíaDespite its fearsome name it is mostly a scavenger, and its bite is among the most powerful for its body size of any mammal.
Life cycle & biology
- Skeleton type
- Vertebrate - internal bony skeleton (marsupial mammal)
- Habitat & environment
- Dry open forest, coastal scrub and farmland of Tasmania
- Birth weight
- ~0.02-0.29 grams (dozens are born, but only 4 survive, since the mother has only 4 teats)
- Size at birth
- Tiny and helpless at birth, only a few millimetres long
- Sexual maturity
- ~2 years (though since a transmissible disease appeared, some females have begun breeding early, at one year old)
- Gestation / incubation
- 21-31 days
- Litter / clutch size
- 20 to 30 young are born, but only 2-4 survive, limited by the number of teats in the pouch
- Lifespan in captivity
- Documented record of up to 13 years in captivity
Sources consulted: AnAge (genomics.senescence.info); VetTriage; Australian Museum; Animal Diversity Web; Animalia.bio; ABQ BioPark; PMC (anticancer immune capacity study, life-history trade-offs study); SDZWA Library Fact Sheet
Where to watch it
Parks and dive sites where this species has been documented.
Related species
Other species in the catalogue with the most in common with Tasmanian Devil — same habitat, park, country, tags or family.
EndangeredEastern Quoll
Dasyurus viverrinus
Near ThreatenedSpotted-tailed Quoll
Dasyurus maculatus
Brown Antechinus
Antechinus stuartii
Brush-tailed Phascogale
Phascogale tapoatafa
Southern Brown Bandicoot
Isoodon obesulus
Common Brush-tailed Possum
Trichosurus vulpecula
How to help
The tasmanian devil is classified as endangered. Organizations such as UICN, WWF y Wildlife Conservation Society work specifically on its conservation and that of its habitat; looking into their programs is a good starting point if you want to get involved.
It's documented in 5 real protected areas — part of why protecting these places matters for its conservation.
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Based on what we already know about tasmanian devil.
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