Tasmanian Devils: Threats |
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Predators: The predators of the devil are large birds of prey during the day, large owls at night and when it was alive the Tasmanian tiger might have hunted the Tasmanian devil. The devil can be a predator of its own race, if one of the older devils is hungry they will chase after one of the younger ones. This is why some people believe the younger devils are good climbers, so they can get away from the older devils. As Tasmania is growing there are more roads, and some of those roads are close to where the devils live. Occasionally the devils will wonder out on the road and unfortunately they will get run over, therefore, the road is also a threat to the Tasmanian Devil. The Biggest Threat: The Devil Facial Tumor Disease (DFTD) was first spotted in1996. This disease spreads tumors in and around the mouth; it can also spread to the eyes. The tumors can get quite big, it can get so big that it can cover the eyes making it hard to see and hunt. It can spread to the mouth making it hard to eat so in the end the devil usually dies of starvation. These days vets are capturing the devil and checking for signs of (DFTD). Scientists are trying to find are cure to this quickly spreading disease. |
Copyright 2006 |