FLASH NEWS
The Tasmanian Devil: What you don't know about the world's most misunderstood animal
2026-03-08 21:11:52 / MISTERE&KURIOZITETE
An iconic animal of Australia, the Tasmanian devil is one of the most misunderstood creatures in the world.
One of the reasons for his bad reputation is Taz, a cartoon character who appears in the Warner Bros. Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies cartoon series. Taz is depicted as a ferocious, carnivorous creature with little patience. He is characterized by outbursts of anger and periods of calm, a voracious appetite, and incomprehensible speech that borders on inarticulate screams. He is a sharp-toothed whirlwind that devours everything in his path.
However, real Tasmanian devils are not the evil creatures we think they are. Let's take a look at 9 interesting facts about this unusual and mysterious mammal.
1. It is the largest carnivorous marsupial in the world.
The Tasmanian devil holds the record as the world's largest carnivorous marsupial, found on the Australian island of Tasmania. It is about the size of a small dog, but is stocky and muscular. Its front legs are slightly longer than its hind legs, which is unusual for a marsupial.
This animal is characterized by its black fur, the strong scent it emits when stressed, its extremely loud cry, and its ferocity when feeding. It has long whiskers on its face and extended ones on the top of its head. These help it find its prey when hunting in the dark, as well as detect other devils approaching when feeding.
It feeds on game and carrion, and although it is generally a solitary animal, it sometimes eats in groups. Another characteristic is that it stores fat in its tail. Thus, the fatter it is, the healthier the animal. Unhealthy animals often have thin tails.
The average lifespan in the wild is estimated at six years, but in captivity it can live longer. Tasmanian devils die quickly from a contagious facial cancer.
2. Newborns are about the size of a raisin.
The Tasmanian devil is a marsupial, like kangaroos and koalas. Its newborns, called joeys, are tiny, about the size of a raisin. As soon as they are born, they instinctively crawl into their mother's pouch and attach their mouths to a nipple. They are fed milk and grow inside for about 100 days. Unlike kangaroos, the Tasmanian devil's pouch opens at the bottom to keep out any dirt.
Gestation lasts 21 days and, although the female gives birth to 20 to 30 young, she has only four teats, meaning she never feeds more than four young. The rest do not survive. Female devils are busy raising their young all year round, except for six weeks.
3. They are very noisy creatures.
Although they are usually solitary, these animals sometimes gather around carcasses or interact with each other in other ways. To communicate, they make a variety of grunts and screams. Tasmanian devils are very noisy animals, known for their loud, rumbling sounds while feeding.
The name "devil" was given to them by European settlers who described these sounds as strange and demonic when they heard them at night. Tasmanian devils also scream loudly at potential threats, such as predators, to scare them off. In addition to vocalizing, they also communicate with each other by writhing and raising their tails.
4. They are good at hiding – but will scream if spotted
Tasmanian devils are actually quite shy and like to hide during the day (they are mostly nocturnal) in their underground burrows. At night, the dark color of their fur allows them to remain camouflaged as they explore their environment and try to feed.
However, when they see that an animal has noticed them and is threatening them, they emit, as we mentioned, those infamous loud screams and howls that are capable of scaring any creature, which will not dare to approach them.
5. They are amazing athletes
Young Tasmanian devils are more agile than older ones in many ways, including when it comes to climbing trees. This allows them to escape various dangers.
They are also exceptional swimmers and can run at 24 kilometers per hour for up to an hour.
Happening now...
ideas
top
TRENDING 
services
- POLICE129
- STREET POLICE126
- AMBULANCE112
- FIREFIGHTER128