Tasmanian Devil: A Unique and Threatened Animal

_Tasmanian Devil_ by David Owen and David Pemberton is a well-illustrated and researched overview of the natural and human history of the largest living marsupial carnivore. After the introduction the first chapters of the book focus on the animal's natural history, the authors taking care to dispel popularly held myths about the animal. Devils are opportunistic feeders, eating live prey and carrion as well as invertebrates, fruit, and vegetation. A solitary hunter, they aren't fast enough to chase down wallabies or rabbits but do go after wombats (though some researchers have reported that they can chase prey at about 12 kilometers per hour for short bursts). They have tremendous jaw strength and powerful teeth that enable them to consume gristle, skin, and shatter bones (the equivalent of a dog four times their size or for their body mass more powerful than a tiger's). Though usually solitary, devils feed communally on particularly large carcasses. Often described as being some sort of free-for-all with lots of screaming and apparent fighting, devils in fact have elaborate vocalizations and postures to maintain order and some speculate that just as the sight of daylight-circling vultures attracts other vultures the noises devils make may serve to alert other devils in the area to a large food source. The first arrival is the dominant feeder, making way for a challenger once it has gorged itself, the feeder defending only the amount of food it needs, not the entire carcass. Devils will generally seek to take what they can and hide with their share, consuming it in peace. Though maligned by ranchers, the devils are the "great hygienists" of the Tasmanian bush. They consume dead and dying livestock and have been credited with breaking the sheep tapeworm cycle and keeping down blowfly populations. Another social trait of devils is that of the communal latrine. Though most of the time devils are solitary animals, depending upon population size, dozens of devils will defecate in one area, "for reasons of communication barely understood, and further calling into question the "solitary" tag." Interestingly, hyenas and ratels (or honey badgers), two species presented as examples of convergent evolution with devils, also use communal latrines. The authors go on to compare interesting examples of convergence with wolverines as well, looking at sense of smell, skull structure, markings (both devils and wolverines have white neck and throat patches), body posture, locomotion, and diet. The evolution and fossil record of the Tasmanian devil are discussed also. The famous Riversleigh fossils site of northwestern Queensland has a species that is 15% larger than a modern devil with a 50% greater body mass. Scientists have speculated whether the modern devil is a dwarfed version of this species or if it coexisted with the larger extinct version. Some believe that several different-sized devils occupied a range of predator-scavenger niches. Dev

This is one of the few books available about the Tasmanian devil that is not geared towards children. A fair, unbiased description of an often misunderstood animal, "Tasmanian Devil" tells the habits, myths, and cultural reactions to the animal behind the famous cartoon character. Also addressed is the animal's vulnerable state, with a final chapter on the little understood disease currently ravaging the devil population and what is being done to save these animals from extinction.

This is a great, though all too brief book on the Tasmanian Devil. It is well written, giving anecdotes and highlights from scientific research on the little creatures' ecology and evolution. It also gives a chapter on devils in captivity, a great insight into those myths of devils being uncontrollable, voracious little predators that will bite the crap out of anything and everything. It tells of the persecution by man, which, unlike some books on persecuted animals, is told without being tedious. It ends with some insight into the mystery surrounding the disease that is decimating wild populations. I really was hopeing for more on the ecology of the animal, unfortunately there was not enough in this book. However, that merely highlights the lack of research that has actually been done, by amateurs or professionals. Highly recommended to anyone interested in Australian animals, or anyone interested in animals fullstop.