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A Fierce Comeback
One of the world’s most unique animals recently returned to the mainland of Australia—for the first time in about 3,000 years. Last year, wildlife experts released 26 Tasmanian devils into a sanctuary north of Sydney, Australia’s biggest city.
Like kangaroos, Tasmanian devils are marsupials. The females carry their babies in pouches on their bodies. The devils get their name from their high-pitched shrieks, sharp teeth, and bad tempers.
Jim McMahon
The devils once lived throughout Australia. But they died out on the mainland centuries ago, possibly because they couldn’t compete for food with wild dogs called dingoes.
They survived only on the Australian island of Tasmania, where no dingoes live. The devils have no predators there, but they're still endangered. A form of cancer has killed nearly 90 percent of the population.
Wildlife experts hope that returning the animals to Australia’s mainland will help save the species. They say the devils play an important role in their ecosystem. For one, they help keep their ecosystem healthy by eating the bodies of dead animals. And they could help control the populations of wild cats and foxes that threaten small animals.