Tasmanian Devil
Sarcophilus harrisii
- Class
- Mammal
- Rarity
- Epic
- Observations
- 843
- Most observed in
- 🇦🇺 Australia
- Conservation
- Endangered
Description
The Tasmanian devil (Sarcophilus harrisii; palawa kani: purinina) is a carnivorous marsupial of the family Dasyuridae. It was formerly present across mainland Australia, but became extinct there around 3,500 years ago; it is now confined to the island of Tasmania. The size of a small dog, the Tasmanian devil became the largest carnivorous marsupial in the world following the extinction of the thylacine in 1936.
Summary adapted from the Wikipedia article “Tasmanian devil”.