Virtual Australia: Tasmanian Wildlife Oddities

When we think of Tasmania...and wildlife...this is usually the first little guy to come to mind.

The Tasmanian Devil

Don't let his size or cuteness fool you.

Once found on mainland Australia, this little guy is only found in the wild (now) on Tasmania. The size of a small dog, it is the largest carnivorous marsupial in the world. It is muscular, smells bad, foul tempered, makes a loud and disturbing screech and is fierce when feeding.

It has been said that, if by chance, one of the saltwater crocs accidentally swallowed one of these whole...it would simply claw and gnaw its way out...and continue on its way.

Pissed, but still alive.

It was hunted to extermination on mainland Australia...and is still considered an endangered species is Tasmania.

Their pups are rat-like, live born and are carried in a pouch on the mother's body for several weeks much like kangaroos and opossums.

Riding on her back later.

Another form of strange wildlife found here is the Duck-bill Platypus

It has a bill like a duck...it has fur...it lays eggs...it has a pouch...has milk like a mammal...it swims like an otter...it has webbed feet...and it's a marsupial.

Not sure how all that came together in one package but unbearably cute.

Egg hatching...they then crawl into the mother's pouch to feed and grow.

And babies.

 (Platypi?)

 Of course there are kangaroos, wallabies, bandicoot, wombats, echinea, sugar gliders and quoll as well...just like we discovered on the mainland.

Perhaps the most interesting and controversial remains The Tasmanian Tiger
(Thylacine) endangered once, it was called extinct in the late 1930's when the last known Thyacine  (Benjamin) died in a local Tassie zoo. They had been on the protected list since 1901. All the wild Tasmanian Tigers were assumed to be hunted to extinction.

                  Footage of the last of the Thyacine can be seen here.

https://aso.gov.au/titles/historical/tasmanian-tiger-footage/clip1/

It was a carnivore, a marsupial, a pouch for its young, had stripes like a tiger on its back half, pads and feet and face of a dog. Relative to the Tasmanian Devil.

In 1906, a pair was given to the Washington DC Zoo.

Both the male and the female had pouches...but only the female nursed and raised her young in one.

Mother and Thyacine Cubs

at the Hobart Zoo (1909)

Now here is where the Tasmanian Tiger stories take a twist.

Although the official classification of the Thyacine is extinct...there have been sighting of this Ghost Tiger off and on (even recent ones) 

None proven conclusively. 

Wishful thinking, ghost tale or making a comeback?

More anon...