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Tasmania has been home to two notable creatures; the Tasmanian Devil and the Tasmanian Tiger.

Tasmania has been home to two notable creatures; the Tasmanian Devil and the Tasmanian Tiger.

The '''Tasmanian Tiger''' or '''thylacine''' was a large dog-like marsupial with stripes on its back which led to the ''tiger'' appellation.  It is believed to have survived on the island owing to the lack of competition from dingos.  The last known surviving specimen died in captivity in 1936.  Although believed to be extinct there are occasional unconfirmed reports of further sightings.

The '''Tasmanian Tiger''' or '''thylacine''' was a large dog-like marsupial with stripes on its back which led to the ''tiger'' appellation.  It is believed to have survived on the island owing to the lack of competition from dingos.  The last known surviving specimen died in captivity in 1936.  Although believed to be extinct there are occasional unconfirmed reports of further sightings and it is often the subject of "[[Jurassic Park|Jurassic Park]]" style research as it is a good candidate for an extinct species which may be revivable.

The '''Tasmanian Devil''' is another marsupial.  Although a carnivore, it is primarily a scavenger.  Devils stand up to 30cm tall and have a squat thickset build and poor eye-sight.  They are generally black but often have white markings on their chest and rump.  Devil numbers have been depleted due Tasmanian Devil Facial Tumour Disease (DFTD), a unique contagious cancer, which is spread when the devils fight each other.  There has been little success in combatting this disease, which results in death by starvation.  Efforts to protect the devils consist mainly of maintaining strict quarantine of cancer-free captive populations with a view to repopulation if the wild devils all die off.

The '''Tasmanian Devil''' is another marsupial.  Although a carnivore, it is primarily a scavenger.  Devils stand up to 30cm tall and have a squat thickset build and poor eye-sight.  They are generally black but often have white markings on their chest and rump.  Devil numbers have been depleted due Tasmanian Devil Facial Tumour Disease (DFTD), a unique contagious cancer, which is spread when the devils fight each other.  There has been little success in combatting this disease, which results in death by starvation.  Efforts to protect the devils consist mainly of maintaining strict quarantine of cancer-free captive populations with a view to repopulation if the wild devils all die off.