Definition of tasmanian devil Tasmanian devil
Tas•ma•ni•an dev•il
We found 4 definitions of tasmanian devil from 4 different sources.
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What does tasmanian devil mean?
WordNet
Noun |
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| tasmanian devil - small ferocious carnivorous marsupial having a mostly black coat and long tail | ||
| ursine dasyure, Sarcophilus hariisi | ||
| dasyurid, dasyurid marsupial small carnivorous nocturnal marsupials of Australia and Tasmania | ||
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Wiktionary 
- tasmanian devil (Noun)
A carnivorous marsupial Sarcophilus harrisii with a vicious temperament and found exclusively on the island of Tasmania.
OmegaWiki DictionaryOmegaWiki Dictionary Ω
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tasmanian devil
Largest surviving carnivorous marsupial with usually black fur, squat and thick build and a body length of about 0.6m, native to Tasmania; scientific name: Sarcophilus harrisii
Wikipedia 
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A Tasmanian Devil ("Sarcophilus harrisii") is a meat eating mammal. It is also a marsupial, which means they have a small pouch to carry their babies. It is the largest meat eating marsupial in the world. They are nocturnal which means they sleep during the day and are awake during the night. They now live only in Tasmania, an island state of Australia.
The devil is the same size as a small dog with a wide head and a short tail. Male devils can weigh 12 kg and be 30 cm tall. It has black fur and makes a loud and very scary screeching noise. It will hunt other animals and also feed on dead animals. The devil has strong teeth and jaws and will eat all its prey even bones and fur.
The Tasmanian Devil became extinct on the Australian mainland about 400 years before European settlement in 1788. They were hunted in Tasmania, but in 1941 they became officially protected.
Disease.
In 1996 the devils began to get very sick and then die with large tumours on their faces. Devil facial tumour disease has greatly reduced the number of devils and now threatens their survival. In some areas 85% of devils have been found with the disease. In the places where the tumours were seen first, devil numbers have dropped by 95%. The tumour is spread by biting. Because the devils are all closely related (not enough genetic diversity), the tumour cells are not seen as new; so the devil's immune system does not fight it. In May 2008 the Tasmanian Devil was listed as endangered. Programs are being tried
