Disease

A rare tumor disease is causing many deaths in Tasmania. This disease only effects Tasmanian devils. It is called Devil Facial Tumor Disease( short for DFTD) which in adult Tasmanian devils causes a type of cancer that is fatal. Once they show signs of the disease three to six months later they die. This disease was first discovered in the mid-1900s and since than the Tasmanian devil population has been drastically effected. DFTD has only been found in some areas in Tasmania and not others. The disease starts out with a few lumps on areas where the skin is swollen, broken or bleeding. After a while these lumps grow bigger and uglier and cause the devils to starve. Many human scientists think that the disease spreads when the Tasmanian devils bite each other at times when they are fighting and/or mating. Many scientists are trying to find the cure to the tumor disease, meanwhile wildlife officers are monitoring the Tasmanian devils in the wild.

I think the DFTD is so sad. It so hard to protect a species from becoming extinct when they are dying from both human guns or invasive species. It is even harder to save a species from an invisible enemy, Disease.

Tasmanian devils live in an Australian state called Tasmania. These devils are known to eat dead animals. they are attracted to the smell of carrion and sometimes get killed by speeding cars because they like to eat road kill. They are marsupials meaning they have pouches where they keep their young. A devil can have about four little devils at the same time. When they were first discovered by early Europeans they were killed so much that they were thought to be extinct like the Tasmanian tiger.

Tasmanian Devil fact: Tasmanian devils store fat in their tails. so if you see a devil with a fat tail then he/she is probably eating fine.