DO YOU KNOW? Tasmanian Devils

IF you thought Taz, the crabby Tasmanian devil, existed only in Bugs Bunny car toons, think again! Tasmanian devils are known to be as foul-tempered as Taz, but thankfully their bark is worse than their bite. But don’t take that literally!

Found only in Tasmania (an island south of Australia), early European settlers nicknamed the animal, the devil, because of its spinechilling screeches, sharp teeth and violent temper. The average adult is the size of a small dog and has powerful jaws that allow it to gobble up its

SILKWORMS have to be reared very carefully. The amount of care given to them determines the quantity and quality of the silk. So concerned were the ancient Chinese about this, that any worm out of synchronization with the rhythm and transformation of the majority of the worms, wo u l d be buried or to fish to avoid any variation in the silk produced. prey—bones, fur and all! Like its neighbour, the kangaroo, the Tasmanian devil is a marsupial, nursing its young in a pouch.

Being unique to Tasmania, the little monster is a huge tourist draw while farmers appreciate them for keeping rodents at bay.

Unfortunately, for over 20 years, the devils have been fighting Devil Facial Tumour Disease (DFTD). The cancerous disease, which starts with a facial tumor, results in death in six months. It was widely feared that if the disease ran unchecked, the species would die out soon. But recently, researchers discovered that in the last 5-6 years, some devils have developed higher tolerance and even resistance to the disease without human intervention. Though population numbers have not returned to pre-DFTD numbers, the decline has halted.