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Wild10Basecamp
A Tasmanian devil standing at a eucalyptus forest edge at dusk, white chest blaze visible

From the north · Wildlife

Tasmanian devil

A stocky nocturnal scavenger with the strongest bite-per-body-mass of any living mammal — a nuisance to food caches, not a threat to people.

Sarcophilus harrisii

Weight
10–26 lb (4.5–12 kg)
Length
22–26 in body + 10 in tail
Lifespan
5–6 yr wild
Bite force
~553 N — highest per kg of any living mammal
Diet
Carrion primarily; possum, wallaby, wombat carcasses, bones and all
Active
Strictly nocturnal
Range
Endemic to Tasmania — statewide
Status
Endangered (DFTD facial tumour disease)

What they mean for a camp

Devils are the reason nothing is left of a road-killed wallaby in Tasmania by morning. In camp they are a food-security problem, not a personal-safety problem. A devil will chew through a soft pack, drag a fish out of a covered pot, and audibly crack through bones on your doorstep while you sleep. Their screeching at a carcass — the sound that gave them the name — is unmistakable and unnerving but not aggressive.

Behavior around humans

Devils are naturally wary and typically flee. Attacks on people are essentially unheard of; the risk is a defensive bite when a devil is cornered or hand-fed. That bite is disproportionate to the body size — the jaw musculature is built to crush the skull and long bones of prey up to wallaby size — and a hand bite is a serious wound needing sutures and antibiotics.

Camp planning

Hang or hard-case all food and fish. Bury or burn every fish frame and gut pile at least 100 m from the sleeping shelter. Do not leave boots or leather gloves out — devils chew salt-stained leather. Sleep with the shelter closed; a devil investigating scent will crawl into an open vestibule but will not force a zipper.

As sign for other species

A devil actively feeding on a carcass tells you the carcass is fresh enough that a larger predator (feral cat, quoll, wedge-tailed eagle) may return. Devil scat — dark, twisted, packed with hair and shattered bone fragments — on a trail junction indicates a regular latrine and a nearby den, useful for avoiding an unwelcome midnight visit.

Field notes

  • Screeching and jaw-clacking at a carcass is normal social behavior at feed, not an attack signal.
  • Bite force is disproportionate to size — a defensive bite to the hand is a serious wound; never hand-feed or corner one.
  • Devils will chew salt-stained leather; do not leave boots or gloves outside the shelter overnight.