TazmanianDevil

__**Tazmanian Devil AKA (Sarcopilus harrisii)**__

 * __Scientific Classification__~**


 * = Domain: ||= Eukarya ||
 * = Kingdom: ||= Animalia ||
 * = Phylum: ||= Chordata ||
 * = Class: ||= Mammalia ||
 * = Order: ||= Dasyuromorphia ||
 * = Family: ||= Dasyuridae ||
 * = Genus: ||= Sarcophilus ||
 * = Species: ||= Sarcophilus harrisii ||

**__Habitiat__~**
Tazmanian Devils live in or around the low moderate or annual rainfall regions of eastern and north-western parts of Tazmania, Australia. Their poplulation density is most in the south-western areas of the state. Their population is high particularly in dry or mixed sclerophyll forests. They sleep in hollow logs or in small caves. The tazmanian devil is the largest carnivorous marcupial in the world. It is nocturnal and scavenges for its food rather than hunting for it. In its habitat there arent many threats concerning predators because of their low key life style and thier own qualitys of defense.

__Species Interactions__**~**
The looney tunes portrayal of the tazmanian devil isnt far from reality, they have a notoriously cantankerous attitude and will get in a rage to defend territory, prey, or thier babies. It was first called a 'devil' after early european settlers whitnessed spine-chilling growles and baring of teeth. They are nocturnal animals and use thier wiskers as well as their keen sense of smell to locate prey at night. Excess fat is stored on their tail and they are known to eat the fur and bones of the animal its eatting. __**Reproduction**__**~** Pregnant tazmanian females give birth to about 20-30 tin babys after 3 weeks of pregnancy. These babies then crawl up the mothers fur into her pouch however she only has 4 nipples; and only a handful survive. It takes 4 months for the newborns to be able to walk around and 8 months for them to be completely independent. Once on their own they become scavengers like its mother and survive most things however a disease discovered in the late 1990's has killed tens of thousands of tazmanian devils and is the main reason behind thier decline in numbers. This disease is called devil facial tumor disease(DFTD). DFTD is a rare contageous cancer which causes tumor growth in the animals mouth and head makeing it dificult to eat resulting in starvation.