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Tasmanian devil

Sarcophilus harrisii


Where is it found?

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Forests and coastal heathland

Diet and foraging method

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Tasmanian Devils are very efficient scavengers, and use their powerful jaws to crush bones and chew up tough skin.
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Key adaptations

Tasmanian Devils long whiskers help them locate prey when foraging in the dark and also other Devils that are close during foraging.

Social organisation and mating system

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Solitary
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Promiscuous

Did you know that...?

Tasmanian Devils have a rear facing pouch to shelter and protect their developing young from dirt and debris while the mother digs for food.

Taxonomy

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Picture credits:

Maps from: http://species.mol.org/species/
"Young tasmanian devil" by KeresH - Own work. Licensed under GFDL via Wikimedia Commons - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Young_tasmanian_devil.jpg#/media/File:Young_tasmanian_devil.jpg
"Sarcophilus harrisii feeding" by Peripitus - Own work. Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Sarcophilus_harrisii_feeding.jpg#/media/File:Sarcophilus_harrisii_feeding.jpg
"Tasmanian Devil resting" by Wayne McLean ( jgritz) - Own work. Licensed under CC BY 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Tasmanian_Devil_resting.jpg#/media/File:Tasmanian_Devil_resting.jpg
"Sarcophilus harrisii Gould" by John Gould - John Gould, F.R.S., Mammals of Australia, Vol. I Plate 52, London, 1863.http://museumvictoria.com.au/bioinformatics/mammals/images/Sar_ursi.htm. Licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Sarcophilus_harrisii_Gould.jpg#/media/File:Sarcophilus_harrisii_Gould.jpg

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