Of all the cats the Snow Leopard has the thickest coat which provides warmth during the extreme winters.
Tasmanian Devil
Sarcophilus harrisii
The Tasmanian Devil cannot be mistaken for any other marsupial. Its spine-chilling screeches and red ears are thought to have led the early European settlers to call it The Devil although it is only the size of a small dog.
Description: The world's largest surviving carnivorous marsupial, the devil has a thick-set, squat build, with a relatively large, broad head and short, thick tail. The fur is mostly or wholly black, but white markings often occur on the rump and chest. Body size also varies greatly, depending on the diet and habitat. Adult males are usually larger than adult females. Large males weigh up to 12 kg, and stand about 30 cm high at the shoulder.
Distribution & Habitat: Devils once occurred on mainland Australia, with fossils having been found widely. Today, however the devil is only found in Tasmania. It is believed the devil became extinct on the mainland some 400 years ago - before European settlement of the continent. The dingo is commonly believed to have been introduced to Australia by South-east Asian fishermen as recently as 4000 years ago, ousting the devil from the mainland. Devils are widespread in Tasmania from the coast to the mountains. They live in coastal heath, open dry sclerophyll forest, and mixed sclerophyll-rainforest - in fact, almost anywhere they can hide and find shelter by day, and find food at night.
Breeding: Devils usually mate between February and June with a gestation of 21 days. More young are born than can be accommodated in the mother's backward-opening pouch, which has 4 teats. Although 4 pouch young sometimes survive, the average number is 2 or 3. Each young, firmly attached to a teat, is carried in the pouch for about 4 months. Young spend 4 months in the pouch before venturing out into the den where they gradually become more adventurous, finally becoming independent a year after being born. They probably start breeding at the end of their second year. Longevity is between 6 and 8 years.
Diet: The devil is mainly a scavenger and feeds on whatever is available. Powerful jaws and teeth enable it to completely devour its prey - bones, fur and all. Wallabies, and various small mammals and birds, are eaten - either as carrion or prey. Reptiles, amphibians, insects and even sea squirts have been found in the stomachs of wild devils. Carcasses of sheep and cattle provide food in farming areas. Devils maintain bush and farm hygiene by cleaning up carcasses. This helps reduce the risk of blowfly strike to sheep by removing food for maggots.
Devils are famous for their rowdy communal feeding at carcasses - the noise and displays being used to establish dominance amongst the pack.
Behaviour: The devil is nocturnal (active after dark). During the day it usually hides in a den, or dense bush. It roams considerable distances - up to 16 km - along well-defined trails in search of food. It usually ambles slowly with a characteristic gait but can gallop quickly with both hind feet together. Young devils are more agile however and can climb trees. Although not territorial, devils have a home range.
The famous gape or yawn of the devil that looks so threatening can be misleading. This display is performed more from fear and uncertainty than from aggression. Devils produce a strong odour when under stress, but when calm and relaxed they are not smelly. The devil makes a variety of fierce noises, from harsh coughs and snarls to high pitched screeches. A sharp sneeze is used as a challenge to other devils, and frequently comes before a fight. Many of these spectacular behaviours are bluff and part of a ritual to minimise harmful fighting when feeding communally at a large carcass.
Status: Since 1996, the Tasmanian Devil population has declined so much due to the Devil Facial Tumour Disease that the species status was in November 2007 upgraded from vulnerable to endangered, although efforts are being made to resurrect the dwindling numbers.
Devils were considered a nuisance to the early European settlers because they raided the poultry yards and were soon driven away to more remote areas of the island. In 1830 the Van Diemen's Land Co. introduced a bounty scheme to remove devils, as well as Tasmanian tigers and feral dogs, from their northwest properties: 2/6 (25 cents) for male devils and 3/6 (35 cents) for females. Devils ate animals caught in snares, and were believed to take lambs and sheep. For over a century they were trapped and poisoned and became very rare. They seemed, like the Tasmanian tiger, to be headed for extinction. Despite this the Tasmanian devil was not protected by law until June 1941.
Devils Facial Tumour Disease (DFTD): DFTD was first discovered in 1996 and now affects Devils in 59 per cent of Tasmania. Field monitoring indicates a 60 per cent decline in the wild devil population since DFTD emergence.
DFTD is transmissible within the species, and is contracted when an infected Tasmanian Devil bites another - common behaviour among Devils especially during the mating season.
Tumours appear within 3-12 months of a Devil contracting the disease.
It is commonly thought that the low genetic variation among Devil populations has contributed to the spread of DFTD. The lack of genetic variation in the population means the cancer is not recognised as ‘foreign’ by the immune system of devils it is infecting.
As a unique form of transmissible cancer, DFTD is the subject of several studies in Tasmania and America. Researchers hope to gain a greater understanding of other forms of cancer by studying the unique qualities of the disease in Devils.
Devils for the insurance population are sourced from different areas of Tasmania to maximise genetic diversity for future captive breeding programs.
The reduction in the Devil population is likely to upset the predatory hierarchy and impact on the wider Tasmanian ecosystem by giving other carnivores, such as foxes more opportunities to prey on native animal species.
FACTS: Australian Zoos and wildlife parks have come together to establish an insurance breeding program for Tasmanian Devils. The agencies include:
Australian Reptile Park, Australia Zoo, Ballarat Wildlife Park, Cleland Wildlife Park, Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary, Dreamworld, Lone Pine Koala Park, Pearcedale Conservation Park, Perth Zoo, Symbio Wildlife Gardens, Taronga Western Plains Zoo , Taronga Zoo, Trowunna Wildlife Park, Sydney Wildlife World, Adelaide Zoo, Monarto Zoo and Healesville Sanctuary.
Conservation Management Programs for threatened species are coordinated by the Australasian Regional Association of Zoological Parks and Aquaria (ARAZPA). ARAZPA has been a driving force in harnessing the collective capacities of its member zoos and wildlife parks in Australia to come together to try to save Tasmanian Devils.
