Little is known about the Tasmanian devil – a creature that has just been born in the Australian mainland after 3,000 years of disappearance

Possessing a name, strange appearance, scary behavior and many ‘unthinkable’ abilities make the Tasmanian devil the most bizarre creature in the animal world.

Recently, Australia has witnessed the first Tasmanian devil (a carnivorous marsupial of the family Dasyuridae) born in the wild after more than 3,000 years since the species disappeared from the continent. Specifically, according to the announcement of the Aussie Ark wildlife conservation organization on May 24, 7 young Tasmanian devils were born at the Barrington wildlife sanctuary, New South Wales, Australia. It is known that the Tasmanian devil disappeared from mainland Australia thousands of years ago. The Dingo is the cause of the extinction of the Tasmanian devil Since then, the Tasmanian devil has only lived within the island of Tasmania, south of Australia – where the wild dog Dingo has never set foot. However, the Tasmanian devils that exist on the island are threatened by the disease “demon face tumor” – a mysterious infectious cancer unique to this species. The disease causes the body, especially the face of the Tasmanian devil, to develop large lumps, which will be fatal to the animals within 3-6 months. Worse still, this is an infectious disease. In the process of fighting for territory or food, Tasmanian devils often bite each other in the face. Accordingly, cancer cells in infected animals will easily be transferred to healthy children Before this strange disease first swept the island of Tasmania in the 1990s, there were about 150,000 Tasmanian devils on the island. However, statistics by 2020, only less than 25,000 animals are still alive in the wild The fact that this species has almost disappeared on the continent and the island’s numbers are on the decline has led Australian conservationists to work hard to protect, breed and return the Tasmanian devil to its natural environment. In September 2020, the wildlife conservation organization Animal Ark brought 11 Tasmanian devils back to the wild in mainland Australia (specifically, the Barrington wildlife sanctuary). Together with 15 individuals previously present in a research project, the number of Tasmanian devils in mainland Australia is increased to 26. After 8 months since returning to the wild, the Tasmanian devils have successfully reproduced When born, the offspring are only the size of a pea and live in the mother’s pouch The successful breeding of demons in mainland Australia has raised hopes for the success of the plan to release and breed Tasmanian devils in the wild. Normally, the mother Tasmanian devil will give birth to 20-40 offspring at a time. The offspring will have to compete for milk from the mother At birth, the baby Tasmanian devil weighs only about 0.18-0.24 grams and is about 0.2cm long Once born, the baby Tasmanian devil will crawl into the mother’s pouch. After 3 months there, its body is complete and can go out to explore nature. When they reach the age of 3.5 – 4 months, the young begin to wean from their mother’s milk Baby Tasmanian devils are more agile than adults and can climb trees. If they can survive the first year, their lifespan in the wild is around 7-8 years As adults, Tasmanian devil males are usually larger than females with a body length of about 65 cm, a tail length of about 25 cm and an average weight of about 8 kg. Females are about 57 cm in length, about 24 cm in tail and have an average weight of about 6 kg The size of the Tasmanian devil is not too big, but after the Tasmanian tiger went extinct in 1936, they became the largest carnivorous marsupial in the world. The appearance of this creature is quite strange when it seems to be “hybrid” between many animals. The head of the Tasmanian devil looks like a mouse, the body is neat, stocky with black fur and a white stripe across the chest quite like a small bear, their teeth are sharp like a wolf… The Tasmanian devil is exactly the epitome of the saying “small but mighty”. Although the body size is only about the size of a puppy, it is considered a “killer” in the animal world because it possesses many “weapons” that are beneficial for hunting. Thanks to their extremely sensitive sense of smell and hearing, the Tasmanian devil easily finds prey or detects other dangers. Tasmanian devil is an agile animal and the ability to fight flexibly on many terrains (ground, underwater, in trees) plus an aggressive personality, like to “chase and kill” so it is rare for any creature to escape the danger. their pursuit Their teeth are also extremely sharp and their jaws are so powerful that every bite is a fatal blow The Tasmanian devil is basically a carnivore, so its food is any animal they hunt. They even eat carrion. Thanks to their sharp teeth and strong jaws, they can even eat bones In addition, the cry of the Tasmanian devil is very scary, it makes the listener feel like they are lost in a horror movie When hunting or fighting for food with fellow humans, the Tasmanian devil will emit even more haunting cries Possessing incredible speed, sharp teeth, haunting cries … so this creature is likened to the devil of Tasmania. It is known that the Tasmanian devil is one of the 7 important species for Australia’s ecosystem The ‘revival’ of the Tasmanian devil in mainland Australia will help control populations of feral cats and foxes – these are animals that threaten the existence of many other species In addition, the Tasmanian devil is also a scavenger, helping to avoid diseases spreading into the environment