What is the Tasmanian Devil?
The Tasmanian devil is a carnivorous marsupial that is only found in the wild on the island of Tasmania. The Tasmanian devil is in fact the largest carnivorous marsupial that is has a muscular build, dark fur, powerful sense of smell and a deadly bite making it the perfect predator to fit into the top of the food chain. Depending on the situation the Tasmanian devil can be a predator or a scavenger increasing its survival rate in the wild. The Tasmanian has one of the strongest bites that allows it to devour an entire carcass of an animal including the hair and bones if desired. As you can see, the Tasmanian devil is doing rather fine until the introduction of a disease known as Devil Facial Tumor Disease that has arguably wiped out the majority of the Tasmanian devil population.
Habitat
The Tasmanian devil is only found on most areas of the island of Tasmania, an island that covers an area of 35,042 square miles. They can be found from areas near or on the coast to the mountains so long as they are able to find a decent place for them to sleep, hunt, mate, etc. However, Tasmanian devils prefer coastal areas such as the likes of coastal scrub lands and forests but as mentioned previously they are flexible enough to inhabit most regions of the island. Additionally, many Tasmanian devils live in urban areas making them vulnerable to road kill.
Abiotic Factors
Abiotic factors are non-living components (chemical or physical) of the environment that impacts the survival of the organism and the ecosystem.
Abiotic factors of the Tasmanian Devil:
Wind- The fact that winds can affect the survival of the Tasmanian devil may be shocking but it's really not. Severe winds are capable of inflicting harm or damage to the animal. The winds can potentially even be the cause of the death for many Tasmanian devils. More importantly and commonly, the Tasmanian devil's habitat can be destroyed.
Water- Water is a vital component to the survival of land animals. All living organisms require water to survive, grow and function properly. Even animals in the dessert require a fair amount of water to persevere through the heat and grow. Without water, animals become weak and after a certain period of time, without any fluids entering the system, the organism will die. The Tasmanian devil like all animals rely on water to continue surviving in the wild. Fortunately, Tasmania receives fairly decent rainfall, perfect for the land animals that occupy the island. However, Tasmanian devils do prefer dry areas over wet areas.
Temperature/Time- Tasmanian devils are nocturnal animals so during the day, they enter a state known as tupor, where it drops its body temperature to match that of its surroundings in order to conserve energy. Having that energy is crucial to their survival as without the necessary amount of energy, they will be unable to hunt, fend off other predators and function properly.
Cars/Roadkill- Tasmanian devils are flexible, they can live almost anywhere on the island of Tasmania, including urban populated areas. These urban areas are nothing but danger to the Tasmanian devils. Tasmanian devils tend to live near roads and as a result are vulnerable and subject to roadkill. The potential reason why Tasmanian devils would live so near to roads is because they can obtain their food straight from the bloody roads. Tasmanian devils would often try to retrieve the carcasses of animals that have been killed by cars and consequently are killed themselves by the lightning fast cars. Additionally, roadkill is especially dangerous to Tasmanian devils as the size and color of the Tasmanian devil, small and black, make it extremely difficult for drivers to detect these miniature creatures among the dark concrete roads.
Fire- Fires can be created by lightning or human activity and that may result in the death of the Tasmanian devil. It's not just the Tasmanian devils itself but it's home/habitat which is more likely to be wiped out by fires placing not just the Tasmanian devil in a troublesome situation.
Abiotic factors of the Tasmanian Devil:
Wind- The fact that winds can affect the survival of the Tasmanian devil may be shocking but it's really not. Severe winds are capable of inflicting harm or damage to the animal. The winds can potentially even be the cause of the death for many Tasmanian devils. More importantly and commonly, the Tasmanian devil's habitat can be destroyed.
Water- Water is a vital component to the survival of land animals. All living organisms require water to survive, grow and function properly. Even animals in the dessert require a fair amount of water to persevere through the heat and grow. Without water, animals become weak and after a certain period of time, without any fluids entering the system, the organism will die. The Tasmanian devil like all animals rely on water to continue surviving in the wild. Fortunately, Tasmania receives fairly decent rainfall, perfect for the land animals that occupy the island. However, Tasmanian devils do prefer dry areas over wet areas.
Temperature/Time- Tasmanian devils are nocturnal animals so during the day, they enter a state known as tupor, where it drops its body temperature to match that of its surroundings in order to conserve energy. Having that energy is crucial to their survival as without the necessary amount of energy, they will be unable to hunt, fend off other predators and function properly.
Cars/Roadkill- Tasmanian devils are flexible, they can live almost anywhere on the island of Tasmania, including urban populated areas. These urban areas are nothing but danger to the Tasmanian devils. Tasmanian devils tend to live near roads and as a result are vulnerable and subject to roadkill. The potential reason why Tasmanian devils would live so near to roads is because they can obtain their food straight from the bloody roads. Tasmanian devils would often try to retrieve the carcasses of animals that have been killed by cars and consequently are killed themselves by the lightning fast cars. Additionally, roadkill is especially dangerous to Tasmanian devils as the size and color of the Tasmanian devil, small and black, make it extremely difficult for drivers to detect these miniature creatures among the dark concrete roads.
Fire- Fires can be created by lightning or human activity and that may result in the death of the Tasmanian devil. It's not just the Tasmanian devils itself but it's home/habitat which is more likely to be wiped out by fires placing not just the Tasmanian devil in a troublesome situation.
Biotic Factors
Biotic factors are living components of the environment or ecosystem that impact the survival and population of an organism and its ecosystem.
Competition- Tasmanian devils like others land animals, especially carnivores, compete with others to obtain the same desired resource which is most of the time food. Tasmanian devils, being carnivores, obtaining that food is so very important, particularly since the Tasmanian devil is so small compared to its competitors. However, don't be fooled by its small figure, the Tasmanian devil's bite can one of the most vicious and deadliest bites you've ever witnessed. One of the Tasmanian devil's main competitors is the dingo.
Cannibalism- Cannibalism is in fact quite common among Tasmanian devils. There are many situations when food is scarce and difficult to obtain and consequently the adult Tasmanian devils will resort to target the younger Tasmanian devils and label them as food or prey. However, cannibalism of Tasmanian devils can lead to the transmission of various diseases.
Predation- Predation occurs when one organism kills and devours its prey. Tasmanian devils existing as carnivores are professionals when it comes to tearing its prey to bits. Tasmanian devils are capable of entirely eradicating the carcass of an animal, devouring even the hair and bones if they so desire. However, just like with most animals, a predator is likely to be prey for another predator. Animals such as dogs and dingoes are known to have wiped out a ridiculous number of Tasmanian devils.
Diseases- A major reason why the Tasmanian devils are endangered are because of the diseases infecting it, with the most significant being Devil Facial Tumor Diseases (DFTD) which has killed off a large proportion of the Tasmanian devil population.
Competition- Tasmanian devils like others land animals, especially carnivores, compete with others to obtain the same desired resource which is most of the time food. Tasmanian devils, being carnivores, obtaining that food is so very important, particularly since the Tasmanian devil is so small compared to its competitors. However, don't be fooled by its small figure, the Tasmanian devil's bite can one of the most vicious and deadliest bites you've ever witnessed. One of the Tasmanian devil's main competitors is the dingo.
Cannibalism- Cannibalism is in fact quite common among Tasmanian devils. There are many situations when food is scarce and difficult to obtain and consequently the adult Tasmanian devils will resort to target the younger Tasmanian devils and label them as food or prey. However, cannibalism of Tasmanian devils can lead to the transmission of various diseases.
Predation- Predation occurs when one organism kills and devours its prey. Tasmanian devils existing as carnivores are professionals when it comes to tearing its prey to bits. Tasmanian devils are capable of entirely eradicating the carcass of an animal, devouring even the hair and bones if they so desire. However, just like with most animals, a predator is likely to be prey for another predator. Animals such as dogs and dingoes are known to have wiped out a ridiculous number of Tasmanian devils.
Diseases- A major reason why the Tasmanian devils are endangered are because of the diseases infecting it, with the most significant being Devil Facial Tumor Diseases (DFTD) which has killed off a large proportion of the Tasmanian devil population.
Adaptations
Adaptations are unique characteristics that enable living organisms whether it be plants or animals to survive and thrive in their particular environment. Adaptations are the results of evolution, it occurs when the organism requires to undergo a change in order to survive in that specific environment. Adaptations can be broken down into three categories, structural adaptations, behavioral adaptations, and functional adaptations. Tasmanian devils like any other animals have unique adaptations that allow it to survive in its environment.
Structural Adaptations:
Structural Adaptations:
- Tasmanian devils have strong jaws enabling it to devour the carcass of an animal completely leaving behind no trace for predators to follow. These strong jaws even allow the marsupial to devour the hair and bones if it desires to do so.
- Tasmanian devils are nocturnal creatures, dormant during the day, active during the night. Their dark fur is an adaptation that allows it to blend into its environment at night time allowing it to hunt or hide with ease.
- The Tasmanian devil's whiskers is an adaptation that provides it with an excellent sense of smell. Its excellent sense of smell enables it to use it on the offense or defense. On the offense, its whiskers can be used to locate prey and on the defense it can be used to flee from predators.
- At times where food is scarce, the adult Tasmanian devils may often try to prey on the younger Tasmanian devils to survive. However, the younger Tasmanian devils have developed an adaptation through time that grants it the ability to climb tress protecting themselves against the adult Tasmanian devils that are unable to climb tress. As it grows older it will most likely lose its ability to climb trees.
- As previously mentioned, Tasmanian devils are nocturnal creatures. As a result, they need to be able to conserve energy to be able to hunt at night. An adaptation that have allowed them to do so is a process known as Tupor. During the day, the Tasmanian devils enter a state known as Tupor, where it drops its body temperature to match that of its environment allowing it to conserve energy without attracting any unnecessary attention. Having that energy provides them with the strength to hunt and compete against other animals.
Food Chains
Food Web
Why are Tasmanian Devils Endangered?
Main Threat
The cause of the recent significant drop in numbers of the Tasmanian devils species is due to a disease. Basically they are endangered because of a disease known as Devil Facial Tumor Disease which as the name suggests is a disease that only affects the Tasmanian devils and affects the face of the Tasmanian devil. The cancer is a fatal condition that affect the head all the way to the neck of the Tasmanian devil preventing it from eating and functioning properly internally. The disease is a nuisance because of the rate in which it spreads. The disease is in fact contagious, and is spread through biting and other physical forms of contact which is common among Tasmanian devils.
Other Threats
The cause of the recent significant drop in numbers of the Tasmanian devils species is due to a disease. Basically they are endangered because of a disease known as Devil Facial Tumor Disease which as the name suggests is a disease that only affects the Tasmanian devils and affects the face of the Tasmanian devil. The cancer is a fatal condition that affect the head all the way to the neck of the Tasmanian devil preventing it from eating and functioning properly internally. The disease is a nuisance because of the rate in which it spreads. The disease is in fact contagious, and is spread through biting and other physical forms of contact which is common among Tasmanian devils.
Other Threats
- Introduced predators such as Asian dogs, cats, foxes, dingoes are predators of the Tasmanian devil.
- Roadkill is common as many of the Tasmanian devil's homes are near roads.
- Habitat loss has caused the Tasmanian devil population to suffer a great deal.
The Disease-Devil Facial Tumor Disease
Devil Facial Tumor Disease (DFTD) is a deadly facial cancer or disease. DFTD is responsible for the huge drop in numbers of the Tasmanian devils population. DFTD infects the head/face of the Tasmanian devil but can spread to the neck. The disease manifests itself in the form of lumps on the face. However, the disease does not instantly kill the animal but instead can take up to three to five months before death comes. The reason DFTD is so deadly is because it is contagious and the rate that it spreads from one to another is causing great concern. The diseases is contracted through biting and other forms of contact and since contact is unavoidable for Tasmanian devils, the disease spreads at an insane rate. Now that we understand what DFTD is, let's talk about how it infects the host in brief detail. DFTD is caused by abnormal or uncontrollable amounts of 'parents' cells dividing into two 'daughter' cells. The infectious cancer is caused because of this incredible growth.
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Action
The Tasmanian devil has been the focus of many organisations and individuals. Numerous initiatives and campaigns have been launched in order to rescue the Tasmanian devils from extinction. The 'Save the Tasmanian Devil' program was established to raise awareness and further investigate the disease infecting the Tasmanian devils. The zoo and other charities have been raising money to fund the research and breeding in order to sustain the Tasmanian devil population. A small portion of the Tasmanian devils have been shipped to a separate island to ensure the species can continue to survive and thrive in the wild untroubled by the disease. However, these organisations and charities alone would not accomplish anything without the community's support and that includes you! You may be surprised at the impact you can make on the survival of the Tasmanian devil.
Learn more about how you can help the Tasmanian devils on the next page, Conservation Programs, on my website.
Bibliography
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tasmanian_devil
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zXx-g31J22c
Google Images
Year 9 Science Pearson Textbook
www.tassiedevil.com.au
www.zoo.org.au
http://www.livescience.com/27440-tasmanian-devils.html
http://www.endangered.org/10-easy-things-you-can-do-to-save-endangered-species/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zXx-g31J22c
Google Images
Year 9 Science Pearson Textbook
www.tassiedevil.com.au
www.zoo.org.au
http://www.livescience.com/27440-tasmanian-devils.html
http://www.endangered.org/10-easy-things-you-can-do-to-save-endangered-species/