Australia still feels the thylacine’s presence in its landscape, wildlife and culture. A new book explores everything we know about the thylacine and the hope of a return.
In the past, wildlife vigilantes have illegally moved Tasmanian devils off the island — an illegal practice known as “covert rewilding”. They may well might try again.
Tassie devils are notorious scavengers, eating everything from echidnas to stranded whales. Understanding how their teeth wear down can help us feed and protect captive populations.
This is Noojee, a joey koala who was rehabilitated in Healesville Sanctuary after being hit by a car.
Healesville Sanctuary
The cutting-edge tools could greatly expand our understanding of different species’ immune systems, and also help humans prepare for future disease outbreaks.
Both male and female Tasmanian devils can become very violent during sexual interactions.
Shutterstock/PARFENOV
It’s often said you need to look to the past to learn about the future, and that’s what the fossil record can tell about how the Tasmanian Devil survived in the past on mainland Australia.
Gone since 1936, and ailing since long before that.
Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery
The new Tasmanian tiger genome reveals some fascinating facts about this extinct marsupial, including why they were so similar to dogs, and how they were growing more vulnerable to genetic disease.
Aggressive behaviour exhibited by socially dominant Tasmanian devils may predispose them to infection with devil facial tumour disease.
Sebastien Compte/University of Tasmania
The facial tumour cells that threaten the Tasmanian devils may use a sort of molecular shield to protect them from the animal’s immune system.
Devils released back onto the Tasmanian mainland in the next step to fight the deadly DFTD disease.
Wildlife Management Branch, Department of Primary Industries, Parks, Water and Environment
If we brought devils back to the mainland, they could play a similar role to dingoes - keeping foxes and cats under control and potentially boosting the conservation prospects of Australia’s small mammals.
Could devils help solve our feral cat crisis? The devil might be in the detail.
Ross Huggett/Flickr
Proposals to reintroduce Tassie devils to the Australian mainland have argued devils could help control feral cats. But new research shows there’s no simple answer.
Island getaway: Tasmanian Devils have been moved to offshore islands to save them from a devastating disease.
AAP Image/David Beniuk
Australia is in the grip of an extinction crisis. Our unique animals, plants, and ecosystems are rapidly ebbing away in a process that began more than 200 years ago with European settlement. Feral cats…
Tassie devils in the wild are prone to the transmissible cancer.
Flickr/roger smith
On Monday this week The Conversation published a story under the headline “What’s killing Tassie devils if it isn’t contagious cancer?” The article suggested evidence that the Tasmanian devil facial tumour…
Is the dying Tassie devil the victim of some undone science?
Flickr/Sy
Editors note: The argument in the following piece has been refuted in a seperate article titled Tassie devil facial tumour is a transmissible cancer. Scientists have been trying to figure out the cause…