ANIMALS OF TASMANIA

Tasmania has many unique mammals found nowhere else in the world. Some, like the Tasmanian devil and Tasmanian tiger are well-known. Tasmania has many species which have become, or are about to be, extinct on the mainland of Australia. The lack of introduced predators, such as the fox as well as the dingo and the relatively large amount of intact habitat on the island make Tasmania a final refuge.

Tasmanian tiger (Thylacinus cynocephalus):

The Tasmanian Tiger, also called the Thylacine after its latin name, is a large marsupial native to Tasmania. Most scientists believe it to be extinct because it have not been officially sighted in the wild or captivity for at least 50 years. The last known record of a thylacine was from a Tasmanian zoo, where it died in 1936. However each year there are about a dozen unconfirmed sightings in remote areas of the state, and several reported sets of Tiger tracks. In January 1995, a Parks and Wildlife Service officer observed a Tiger in eastern Tasmania and the government launched an investigation to possibly confirm the existence of the Tiger.
The Tiger was about 5 feet (1.5 m) long, and had light brown fur with dark stripes across its lower back. Above is a photo of the last Tasmanian Tiger in captivity, taken at the Hobart Zoo in 1933.

Tigers were common in Tasmania when Europeans first arrived 200 years ago, but were hunted extensively because they threatened sheep and a bounty was placed on them and 2063 claims for bounty were made. The Tasmanian tiger is known to have been widespread on the mainland about 7,000 years ago and has probably been extinct there for 2,000 years. This has been attributed to the competition of dingoes, which were introduced about 4,000 years ago. The dingo (Canis lupus familiaris dingo) was a dog brought to the mainland by the chinese. According to latest DNA testing, Dingoes evolved 135,000 years ago and were the world's first domestic dog, predating the wolf and thus is the ancestor of all dog breeds! Click here if you want to know more about Dingoes

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CLONING
The technology behind the production of Dolly the sheep has been applied to other species, but there are indications that there are some problems still to be solved. In media discussions whether it is possible to clone Tasmanian tigers have occured. The problem is however that you have to have a living cell for cloning, which can be very hard, if not impossible, to find. DNA that is old or has been stored in formalin or alcohol gets fragmented and it is very difficult to put it back together again. In a future however, these problems may be overcome!

Tasmanian devil (Sarcophilus harrisii):

The largest living marsupial carnivore, the Tasmanian devil is the size of a small, stoutly-built dog. Ideal for their role as Australia's only specialized mammalian scavenger, devils have a massive head with powerful jaws and strong teeth. Indeed, their scientific name means flesh (Sarco-) lover (-philus). Once occurring across the Australian mainland, devils disappeared after the arrival of the dingo. They are now restricted to Tasmania (Bass Strait prevented dingoes from getting here). Although populations have fluctuated this century, their status seems to be secure. Devils live throughout Tasmania in forests and farmlands, sleeping during the day in logs, caves or burrows and coming out at night. The Tasmanian devil cannot be mistaken for any other marsupial. Its spine-chilling screeches, black colour, and reputed bad-temper, led the early European settlers to call it The Devil. It eats small mammals and reptiles, plus any dead animals it can find. It hunts mainly at night and spends the day in a cave, hollow log, or other shelter. It weighs 4-12 kilograms. Most have black fur with white markings, but some are entirely black. It has a bear-like shape with a large head and long, bushy tail.

They were originally considered pests by farmers but are now appreciated for their ability in keeping down the numbers of crop-eaters such as mice. They are rarely seen because of their nocturnal nature. Tasmanian devils can be seen in many rural and wilderness areas by slowly driving at night along secondary roads. Look for them a few hour hours after sunset.

WARNING: This beast eat dead animals. If you do not like to know of such an animal, do NOT download this file!
;o)

Tasmanian devils was named by settlers because of its eerie growl, which starts as a kind of whistle and ends in a bark. The devil is mainly a scavenger and feeds on whatever is available. Devils maintain bush and farm hygiene by cleaning up carcasses. Tasmanian Devils have some of the strongest jaws out of any animal, and usually eat the entirety of their prey. One time a family of Devils were found to have eaten a horse and left only the skull and tail. When feeding on roadkill, Devils generally eat everything including bones, fur and feet. Devils are famous for their rowdy communal feeding at carcasses - the noise and displays being used to establish dominance amongst the pack. A devil can eat almost 40% of its own weight in 30 minutes!