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The Tasmanian devil (Sarcophilus harrisii) (palawa kani: purinina) [3] is a carnivorous marsupial of the family Dasyuridae.It was formerly present across mainland Australia, but became extinct there around 3,500 years ago; it is now confined to the island of Tasmania.
The smallest species is the Pilbara ningaui, which is from 4.6 to 5.7 cm (1.8 to 2.2 in) in length, and weighs just 2 to 9 g (0.07 to 0.3 oz), while the largest, the Tasmanian devil, is 57 to 65 cm (22 to 26 in) long, and weighs from 6 to 8 kg (13 to 18 lb). The smaller dasyurids typically resemble shrews or mice in appearance, with long tails ...
The thylacine was known as the Tasmanian tiger because of the dark transverse stripes that radiated from the top of its back, and it was called the Tasmanian wolf because it resembled a medium- to large-sized canid. The name thylacine is derived from thýlakos meaning "pouch" and ine meaning "pertaining to", and refers to the marsupial pouch ...
Dasyuromorphia (/ d æ s i j ʊər oʊ ˈ m ɔːr f i ə /, meaning "hairy tail" [2] in Greek) is an order comprising most of the Australian carnivorous marsupials, including quolls, dunnarts, the numbat, the Tasmanian devil, and the extinct thylacine.
The eastern quoll is a solitary predator, hunting at night for its prey of insects, small mammals, birds, and reptiles. [13] [14] They have been known to scavenge food from the much larger Tasmanian devil. [8]
The thylacine, or Tasmanian tiger, was the largest Dasyuromorphia and the last living specimen of the family Thylacinidae; however, the last known specimen died in captivity in 1936. The world's largest surviving carnivorous marsupial is the Tasmanian devil ; it is the size of a small dog and hunts although it is opportunistic.
The Tasmanian devil survived European settlement and was considered widespread and common throughout Tasmania until recently. As with a lot of wildlife, fast vehicles on roads are a problem for Tasmanian devils, which are often killed while feeding on other road-killed animals such as wallabies. They eat everything including bone.
Tasmanian pademelons were an important part of the diet of the now-extinct thylacine, and they are still preyed on by quolls, Tasmanian devils, and wedge-tailed eagles. Despite these predators, Tasmania and its outlying smaller islands have large numbers of pademelons and every year many are culled to keep their numbers sustainable. [12]