Automoderated users, edit
193
edits
Changes
Jump to navigation
Jump to search
Line 22:
Line 22: + +
→Wildlife
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. 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. 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 average weight varies considerably from {{convert|15|to|44|kg|lb|abbr=on}}, with males generally being larger than females<ref name="ABRS">{{cite web|url=http://www.deh.gov.au/biodiversity/abrs/publications/fauna-of-australia/pubs/volume1b/16-ind.pdf#search=%22platypus%20pelt%201700%22|title=Fauna of Australia chap.16 vol.1b|author=J.R.Grant|publisher=Australian Biological Resources Study (ABRS)| accessdate = 2006-09-13}}</ref>
==Notable Tasmanians==
==Notable Tasmanians==