What Do Tasmanian Devils Eat?
Tasmanian devils are carnivorous, but they are more likely to scavenge animals that have already died than to bring down prey on their own. They mostly eat the carcasses of other marsupials, though they also consume sheep and rabbits.
In the past, Tasmanian devils may have relied upon carrion from Tasmanian wolf kills. Unfortunately, the Tasmanian wolf or thylacine has been extinct since 1936. Research from when the thylacine was still alive indicated that it only ate recent kills, giving Tasmanian devils a niche in consuming their leftovers. Tasmanian devils are able to consume not only flesh, but also fur and bone, making them well-adapted to eating scraps from other carnivorous animals. When Tasmanian devils do prey, they hunt mainly small animals, including birds, lizards, insects and other marsupials, such as wallabies. Farmers consider them livestock predators.
