18 



MAMMALS OF THE PACIFIC WORLD 



In the natural state these animals probably ate wallabies and 

 other Tasmanian mammals, but as they took to killing sheep 

 in numbers after their introduction, they were nearly extermi- 

 nated. The animals are nocturnal, spending the day concealed 

 in dens in hilly country. They are reported to be shy, but if 

 cornered to turn savagely on dogs employed to hunt them. The 

 voice consists of a series of "husky or guttural coughing barks." 



Fig. 6 — Tasmanian Devil 



Fossil evidence proves that these marsupials were widely dis- 

 tributed in Australia before the advent there of man. 



The Tasmanian Devil (Sarcophilus) is a somewhat ungainly 

 animal, colored blackish, with a few white spots on chest, sides, 

 and rump. The hind quarters are weak and the tail is consider- 

 ably shorter than the body, but the jaws are exceedingly pow- 

 erful. The pouch, which contains two pairs of teats, opens 

 backward. The total length is forty inches, including the 

 twelve-inch tail. 



Tasmanian devils are markedly carnivorous, raiding chicken 

 roosts and possibly killing young sheep. Their natural food 



