What is a Tasmanian devil like, and how has its story changed? Start with the animal. The Tasmanian devil is the biggest meat-eating marsupial alive. A devil looks like a small, stocky dog. It has a large, strong head and short legs. Most devils have black fur with white markings on the chest, and sometimes on the rump.
Wild devils live on the island of Tasmania, which is part of Australia. They live in forests, coastal heath and farmland areas. Devils live across Tasmania, from the coast to the mountains.
Fossils show that Tasmanian devils once lived on the Australian mainland. Devils disappeared from the mainland about 3,500 years ago, long before Europeans arrived. In the 1830s bounties were offered for devils. Over the next century devils became very rare. Tasmania protected devils by law in 1941, and their numbers slowly rose.
Devil facial tumour disease was first detected in 1996. It is a cancer that is believed to spread from one devil to another through biting. As of November 2026, surveys that count devils seen at night show about 80 per cent fewer devils across most of Tasmania since the disease appeared. Australian zoos help the Save the Tasmanian Devil Program by breeding devils as an insurance population.
Next, here is how devils live day to day. Devils are nocturnal, which means they are active after dark. A devil has a keen sense of smell that it uses to find food. It may travel as far as 16 kilometers (10 miles) in one night looking for food.
Devils usually live alone. But several may feed at the same dead animal. They make loud growls and screeches when several of them feed together. A devil's wide yawn looks threatening. It shows fear and uncertainty more than anger.
A devil's big head and heavy teeth are made for crushing bone. Its strong jaws and teeth let it eat nearly all of its food, even bones and fur. Scientists estimate that, for its size, a devil's bite is about as strong as the bite of a dog four times heavier.
A mother devil carries her babies in a pouch for about four months. A baby devil grows inside its mother for only about 21 days before it is born. Newborn devils are tiny, about the size of a grain of rice. Her pouch has only four teats. So no more than four babies can stay in it. Baby devils are called imps.
Young devils are weaned, no longer drinking their mother's milk, when they are 5 to 6 months old. Devils become adults at about two years old. Young devils usually leave their mothers and live on their own by about December.
Devils mostly eat animals that have already died. Besides eating dead animals, devils hunt live prey such as small mammals and birds. Devils are gorge feeders. They eat a large amount of food at one time. By eating dead animals, devils help keep the bush clean.
Words to know
- marsupial: pouched animal
- bounties: paid rewards
- nocturnal: awake at night
- prey: hunted animals
- weaned: off mother's milk
- insurance: safe backup
