Tasmanian devil is the largest of the marsupials that eat meat.
They were once found all over Australia, but are now found only in Tasmania. They were probably driven south by the dingo when it came to Australia, at a time when Tasmania was joined to the mainland.
Habitat and Distribution (where they are found)
They are found in northern, eastern and central Tasmania, Their habitat is wooded countryside, in forests and near the outer suburbs of many towns.
Appearance and Behaviours
Devils are black with a white mark on the chest and rump. Their tracks are in a diamond pattern: a single paw print, followed by two paw prints side by side, and then another single print. They have a rocking movement when they run, at a top speed of about 13 kilometers per hour.
The Tasmanian devil hunts at night and spends the day in a burrow.
The can open their mouths in a very wide gape
When several gather at one carcass, they growl and screech loudly, but rarely injure each other. This bone-chilling screeching gave the devil its name: early settlers thought that they sounded like devils in the night.
Diet
Tasmanian devils eat dead animals they find. This is an important activity because they clean up dead carcasses, which keeps the bush clean and on farms prevent sheep getting infected by maggots. Like many marsupials, can devils retain fat in their tails to keep up nutrition when there is little food around?
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