Tasmanian Devils Put On Endangered List
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As far as I know there are only three types of cancer which can be passed to another like a contagious disease. And the Tasmanian Devils are infected with one of those. Deadly facial tumors are thinning the population down...70% since 1996. These cancers are passed on to another by biting. They are normally found on the face or neck although they may be found anywhere the animal was bitten by another. The Tasmanian Devils are only found in the wild today on the Australian island of Tasmania. They were numerous in the Australia mainland until the fourteenth century at which time they were extirpated due to their danger to livestock. Although the adult Devil is only about 22 to 28 inches long and weighs from 13 to 18 pounds, they are vicious. They are carnivorous and marsupials. They differ from most marsupials such as the Kangaroo whose forelegs are smaller and shorter than the hind legs. The Devils have slightly longer front legs than their back ones. Their pouch is facing backward, so there is no interaction with the mother and the developing babies These animals have enormous appetites and usually eat about 15% of their body weight in a day, but have been known to devour up to 40% of their body weight in minutes. They completely eliminate their prey, eating everything about it including the bones and inner organs. This has endeared them to some Tasmanian farmers since it helps to keep down insects which would thrive on the abandoned carcasses. Although they hunt for their prey, they will also devour any fresh kill they come upon, such as road kill. They also eat virtually any type animal they are able. From small sheep to snakes, frogs, fish, birds or small game. The cancerous tumors which are devastating the population so badly have caused them to be placed on the endangered list in 2006. Some area populations have seen 100% of them destroyed. Conservationists have now captured a number of disease free of the Devils and are raising them in captivity to assure they are not completely eradicated.
Webgazine Columnist.
Article submitted Monday, May 25, 2009 & read 20 times.
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