Tasmanian devil

Tasmanian devil
Tasmanian devil
Conservation status
Endangered  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Class:	Mammalia
Infraclass:	Marsupialia
Order:	Dasyuromorphia
Family:	Dasyuridae
Genus:	Sarcophilus
Binomial name
Sarcophilus harrisii

The Tasmanian devil (Sarcophilus harrisii) is a meat eating mammal. It is a marsupial, which means it has a small pouch to carry its babies. It is the largest meat eating marsupial in the world.^[2] It is nocturnal, which means it sleeps during the day and is awake during the night. Tasmanian devils now live only in Tasmania, an island state of Australia.

The devil is the same size as a small dog with a wide head and a short tail. Male devils can weigh 12 kg and be 30 cm tall. It has black fur and makes a loud and very scary screeching noise. It will hunt other animals and also feed on dead animals. The devil has strong teeth and jaws and will eat all its prey, even bones and fur.^[2]

The Tasmanian devil became extinct on the Australian mainland about 3,000 years ago - before European settlement in 1788.^[2] They were hunted in Tasmania. In the 1930s the Van Dieman's Land Company offered 25 cents for each male and 35 cents for each female killed.^[2] In 1941 they became officially protected.

1. ↑ Hawkins C.E.; et al. (2008). "Sarcophilus harrisii". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2008. International Union for Conservation of Nature. Retrieved 9 July 2011. Listed as Endangered (EN A2be+3e v3.1)
2. ↑ ^{2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3} "Parks & Wildlife Service -". parks.tas.gov.au. Archived from the original on 6 February 2011. Retrieved 21 September 2010.