Taxnomy Evolution Description
Kingdom:Animalia Subspecies: Sarcophilus harrissii largest surviving carnivorous
Phylum:Chordata dixonae, Sarcophilus harrisii Harrisii. It has a squat, thick build, with
Class:Mammalia In existnece for 23,000 years large head and a tail which is
Infraclass:Marsupialia Closest living realative: Quoll about half its body length.
Order:Dasyuromorphia Unknow ancestors Devils have five long toes on
Family:Dasyuridae their forefeet, four pointing to
Genus:Sarcophilus the front and one coming out
Species:S. harrisii from the side, which gives the devil the ability to hold food. Body on male is bigger than females. they are about 30.9 inches tall and weigh 8lbs while females are 31,6 inches tall and weigh 6lbs. Life span for about 5 years.
Habitat: Devils are found in all habitats on the island of Tasmania. Considered to be within the low to moderate ranifall. In button grass plains. In late 2020, the species was reintroduced to mainland Australia. Other animals on the isalnd Kangaroos, Eastern Quoll, Pademelon, Hairy nosed wombats. Temps 17-23 degrees celsius in the summer. 3-11 degrees Celcuis in the winter.
Distribution: found in Australia. They are not an invasie species.
Diet: they are opportunistic but they can take up to a small kangaroo. will eat fish, fruit, vegetable matter, insects, tadpoles, frogs and reptiles. Depends on what is avalible. eat about every 3-8 days. No speaical foods.
Social structure: Live a solitary life no groups or packs of any sort. Eating is a social event. They communally eat with up to 12 individuals. they are territorial but they are fine around each other for the most part.
Reproduction: Females reach sexual matury at two years. She then is fertile for 1 time during the year. March or april. Males fight over females in the mating season. they are not monogomus. They can mate up to 8 days. Can produce up to 16 offspring.
Development: They are an infant and in the pouch for less than a year. then they are sub adults for 1-2 years and then they are fully grown and are adults at 2 years old. that is when they reach sexual maturty. they lean alot of hunting and gathering during that pouch life. No differances in development between a male and a female.
Causes of death: The largest predator is the wedge tailed egale. Threats include domestic dogs and foxes, being hit by cars loss of habitat. Devil facial tumour disease (DFTD) is an aggressive non-viral clonally transmissible cancer which affects Tasmanian devils. Having fights over females during the mating season.
Competition: In the species there is not alot of comepetion besides mating. out of the specues there are territorial fights and they are aggresive. They originally disappeared from the continent after human settlers brought dogs to the land thousands of years ago, which then evolved into invasive predators known as dingoes.
IUCN rating: Endangered. Less than 25,000 in the wild. the population is decreasing.
Impacts of humans: They wiped them out beucsae they brought dogs. They also might be looking at more deforestation. They have been impacting the species for thounds of years. they have brought them back to the mainlad where they also were to reintroduce them to the island.