Five things you may not have known about the Tasmanian Devils

An icon of Australia’s southernmost state, the Tassie Devil is a highlight on Evergreen’s tours to the ‘Apple Isle’. Before you meet these cheeky creatures and exchange glances, here are five things you may not have known.

Tasmanian Devils are known for their short courting and long ‘lovin’. There are recorded cases where a couple mated for eight days! However, the exhausted male still needs to keep a close eye on his new found, short term love. Females have a tendency to hedge their breeding bets by sneaking out to find other suitors.

The Tasmanian Devil became an overnight sensation in 1957 with the creation of Taz, the loud and hyperactive Looney Tunes character. Warner Bros., eventually trademarked and registered the name “Tasmanian Devil” and it is today, heavily monitored for infringements.

Registering one of the strongest bites per mass of any land predator, their jaws can open up to 80 degrees and can easily chew through thick metal wire.The teeth and jaws are similar to those of hyenas. Tasmanian Devils are also known to steal shoes, giving a new meaning to ‘shoe fetish’.

There are twenty known physical postures and eleven different vocal sounds identified to establish dominance in the Tasmanian Devil’s social world. They can also stand on their hind legs and with their longer front legs, push their opponent’s shoulders and head like a sumo wrestler. Although most scars around the head and body are obtained during territorial fights, many are also obtained during breeding fights from both male and female sweethearts.

As the largest surviving carnivorous marsupial, the Tasmanian Devil can eat up to 40% of its body weight in 30 minutes and stores body fat in its tail. A fat tail is a happy Devil. Eating is a social event and groups can be heard feasting with reckless abandon over carcasses several kilometres away.

Jam packed with outstanding natural beauty, ancient and recent history, unique flora and fauna, and landscapes that differ at every turn, Tasmania is just a short flight away. Discover these national parks and more on Evergreen’s 12 Day Tasmania Explorer.