Home / Tasmanian devils

Tasmanian devils

Published: 16/02/2010

History
Status
Tasmanian devil vocalisation
Video of devil feeding
Tasmanian devil FAQs  

History

Fossil evidence of Tasmanian devils having inhabited mainland Australia is widespread. It is believed the devil became extinct on the mainland some 400 years ago – before European settlement. This extinction was probably due to increasing aridity and the spread of the dingo, which was prevented from entering the island State of Tasmania by a tempestuous body of water called Bass Strait.

Today the devil is a Tasmanian icon, but it hasn’t always been so well loved. Tasmanian devils were considered a nuisance by early European settlers of Hobart Town, who complained of raids on poultry yards. In 1930 the Van Diemen’s Land Company introduced a bounty scheme to remove devils, as well as Tasmanian tigers and wild dogs, from their northwest properties: 2/6 (25 cents) for male devils and 3/6 (35 cents) for females.

For more than a century, devils were trapped and poisoned. They became very rare, seemingly headed for extinction. But the population gradually increased after they were protected by law in June 1941.

Status

In May 2009, the Federal Government uplisted the Tasmanian devil to the Endangered category under the Commonwealth’s Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999. 

The Tasmanian devil’s status was formally upgraded to Endangered under Tasmania’s Threatened Species Protection Act 1995, in May 2008.

In late 2008, the Tasmanian devil was also uplisted to Endangered on the Red List of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) – widely considered the most authoritative system for classifying species in terms of their risk of extinction.

The Tasmanian devil is now wholly protected.

The greatest recent threat to devils across Tasmania is Devil Facial Tumour Disease (DFTD). In September 2006, Devil Facial Tumour Disease was gazetted under the Animal Health Act as a List B notifiable disease.

Tasmanian devil vocalisation

What does a Tasmanian devil sound like? Listen to this.

Video of devils feeding

View a movie of devils feeding

Tasmanian devil FAQs

Find out all you ever wanted to know about Tasmanian devils, their lifestyle, hobbies and interests.

Tasmanian devil FAQs.pdf (76 kb)

Do you have a question about Tasmanian devils?

Ask the team