Tasmanian Devil
The Tasmanian devil (Sarcophilus harrisii) is the largest living carnivorous marsupial and is found in the wild only on the island of Tasmania. The IUCN lists it as Endangered, mainly because of a contagious cancer.
The Tasmanian devil (Sarcophilus harrisii) is the largest living carnivorous marsupial and is found in the wild only on the island of Tasmania. The IUCN lists it as Endangered, mainly because of a contagious cancer.
🧬 Field Guide Specimen: Open Tasmanian Devil in the CRV Science Field Guide to log the specimen, see its place among the Mammals lineages in the Cladogram Explorer, and test your recall in the Red List conservation game.
A Transmissible Cancer: How Can a Tumor Be Contagious?
Devil facial tumour disease, first noticed in 1996, spreads when devils bite one another during fights and mating. The tumor cells themselves are the infectious agent, a clone of cancer cells that survives passing between hosts. A second, independent transmissible tumor was found in 2014. Devil numbers have fallen by well over half in affected regions. See Cancer.
Powerful Scavenger
Devils have one of the strongest bites for their size among living mammals and can crush bones, allowing them to eat nearly all of a carcass. Their eerie screeches during feeding gave them their name.
Conservation
Insurance populations in zoos and fenced reserves, and the release of healthy devils on mainland Australia, aim to safeguard the species. Some wild devils show immune responses to the tumor, a hopeful sign of evolutionary adaptation.
Tasmanian Devil at a Glance
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Scientific name | Sarcophilus harrisii |
| Kingdom | Animalia |
| Phylum | Chordata |
| Class | Mammalia |
| Order | Dasyuromorphia |
| Family | Dasyuridae |
| Field Guide group | Mammals: Marsupialia (Metatherians) |
| Diagnostic feature (Field Guide) | Extremely muscular bite force relative to body size, polyprotodont dentition, non-syndactylous feet. |
| IUCN Red List status | Endangered (EN), assessed 2008 |
| Main threat | Devil facial tumour disease |
See Also
- Cancer — how tumors arise and spread
- Natural selection — evolving resistance to disease