Tasmanian Devil is a carnivorous and scavenging marsupial now restricted to Tasmania. Its the size of a small dog with large males weighing up to 12 kg, and standing about 30 cm high at the shoulder. Devils have been extinct on mainland Australia for some 600 years, before European settlement, ousted by the dingo brought into Australia by Aboriginal people. Tasmanian devils are wholly protected. Starting in the the mid-1990s and becoming more prevalent in recent years they have been suffering from the fatal condition Devil Facial Tumour Disease. Although the current disease shouldn't lead to extinction, there is a concern that if the population is diminished and the introduced fox increases in number, it may be difficult for them to recover again. (photo by Vanessa Chiang, Redeemer 2005)
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