psy: Tasmanian devil

Evidence: 100 • authority: 72

The Tasmanian devil (Sarcophilus harrisii; palawa kani: purinina) is a carnivorous marsupial of the family Dasyuridae. It was formerly present across mainland Australia, but became extinct there around 3,500 years ago; it is now confined to the island of Tasmania. The size of a small dog, the Tasmanian devil became the largest carnivorous marsupial in the world following the extinction of the thylacine in 1936. It is related to quolls, and distantly related to the thylacine. It is characterised by its stocky and muscular build, black fur, pungent odour, extremely loud screech, keen sense of smell, and ferocity when feeding. The Tasmanian devil's large head and neck allow it to generate amon…

Evidence: 61 • authority: 72

The thylacine ( THY-luh-seen; Thylacinus cynocephalus), also commonly known as the Tasmanian tiger, Tasmanian wolf or marsupial wolf, is an extinct species of carnivorous marsupial formerly native to the Australian mainland, Tasmania and New Guinea. It became extinct on mainland Australia and New Guinea approximately 3,600–3,200 years ago, possibly following the arrival of the dingo, which was introduced to Australia around the same period but never reached Tasmania. Prior to European settlement, the species remained widespread in Tasmania, where its population was estimated to number several thousand individuals. During the 19th century, the species was increasingly persecuted because of i…

Evidence: 39 • authority: 88

Reconstruction of the Cortical Maps of the Tasmanian Tiger and Comparison to the Tasmanian Devil. ABSTRACT The last known Tasmanian tiger ( Thylacinus cynocephalus ) – aka the thylacine – died in 1936. Because its natural behavior was never documented, we are left to infer aspects of its behavior from museum specimens and unreliable historical recollections. Recent advances in brain imaging have made it possible to scan postmortem specimens of a wide range of animals, even more than a decade old. Any thylacine brain, however, would be more than 100 years old. Here, we show that it is possible to reconstruct white matter tracts in two thylacine brains. For functional interpretation, we compa…

Evidence: 21 • authority: 88

Tasmanian Devil Vs Honey Badger. Are you ready to witness the clash between two of the most formidable creatures in the animal kingdom? On one side, we have the Tasmanian devil, a small yet powerful mammal with a stocky build and a jaw capable of shattering bones. And on the other side, we have the honey badger, a fearless predator known for challenging even the fiercest opponents, including lions and pythons. But the battle doesn't end there.

Evidence: 21 • authority: 88

Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea: Non-Coding RNAs Associated with Transmissible Cancers in Tasmanian Devil, Domestic Dog and Bivalves. Currently there are nine known examples of transmissible cancers in nature. They have been observed in domestic dog, Tasmanian devil, and six bivalve species. These tumours can overcome host immune defences and spread to other members of the same species. Non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) are known to play roles in tumorigenesis and immune system evasion. Despite their potential importance in transmissible cancers, there have been no studies on ncRNA function in this context to date. Here, we present possible applications of the CRISPR/Cas system to study the…

Evidence: 21 • authority: 72

The largest prehistoric animals include both vertebrate and invertebrate species. Many of them are described below, along with their typical range of size (for the general dates of extinction, see the link to each). Many species mentioned might not actually be the largest representative of their clade due to the incompleteness of the fossil record and many of the sizes given are merely estimates since no complete specimen have been found. Their body mass, especially, is largely conjecture because soft tissue was rarely fossilized. Generally, the size of extinct species was subject to energetic and biomechanical constraints.

Evidence: — • authority: 88

A Taxonomic Revision of the Carnivorous Marsupial Genus Pseudantechinus Using Total Evidence. This project undertook a formal taxonomic revision of the native Australian carnivorous marsupial genus Pseudantechinus. Traditional morphometrics, three-dimensional geometric morphometrics and genetics were used to simultaneously assess and resolve the taxonomic and systematic relationships of the group. Additionally, targeted live-trapping was undertaken to advance our understanding of species distributions across Australia for the false antechinuses. This project has illustrated the importance of adopting an integrative taxonomic approach for small mammal taxonomy and the value of targeted live-…

Evidence: — • authority: 88

Dynamics, habitat use and extinction risk of a carnivorous desert marsupial. Abstract Animals in hot desert environments often show marked fluctuations in population size, persisting in low numbers in refuge habitats during dry periods and expanding after rain when resources increase. Understanding drought‐wet cycle dynamics is important for managing arid ecosystems, particularly if populations of threatened species are present. Such species may face increased risks of extinction if all populations decrease synchronously toward zero during low‐resource periods, and if key refuge habitats needed during these periods are disturbed or unavailable. Here, we describe the dynamics and habitat req…

Evidence: — • authority: 88

Tasmanian Devil Vs Honey Badger. Are you ready to witness the clash between two of the most formidable creatures in the animal kingdom? On one side, we have the Tasmanian devil, a small yet powerful mammal with a stocky build and a jaw capable of shattering bones. And on the other side, we have the honey badger, a fearless predator known for challenging even the fiercest opponents, including lions and pythons. But the battle doesn't end there.

Evidence: — • authority: 72

Thylacoleo ("pouch lion") is an extinct genus of carnivorous marsupials that lived in Australia from the late Pliocene to the Late Pleistocene (until around 40,000 years ago), often known as marsupial lions. They were the largest and last members of the family Thylacoleonidae, occupying the position of apex predator within Australian ecosystems. The largest and last species, Thylacoleo carnifex, had an estimated average weight of 101 to 130 kg (223 to 287 lb), approaching the weight of a modern lioness (Panthera leo).

Evidence: — • authority: 92

NEUROENDOCRINE TUMORS NEARLY CAUSING EXTINCTION OF A MAMMAL.. I have spent most of my career studying neuroendocrine (NE) tumors or cancers (1-5). NE cancers are a diverse group of tumors that develop in multiple organs throughout the body. During a recent trip to Tasmania, I learned that there is currently an epidemic within the animal kingdom of a transmissible NE cancer. The Tasmanian devil ( Sarcophilus harrisii ) is only found in Tasmania. Devil facial tumor disease (DFTD) is an aggressive, transmissible, and uniformly fatal NE cancer found exclusively in Tasmanian devils. Tumor cells are transmitted between devils through frequent biting during mating and recognized as a rare clonally…

Evidence: — • authority: 92

Skull morphology of the extinct Tasmanian tiger suggests unique biting style.. The recently extinct thylacine (Tasmanian tiger) was the largest modern marsupial predator. It is considered a classic example of evolutionary convergence due to striking similarities with placental canids (e.g., foxes and wolves), particularly in the skull, despite ~160 million years of evolutionary separation. However, we here present geometric and linear morphometric evidence that the thylacine's cranial form arises from a mosaic of traits not represented among canids or other living mammalian carnivores. Thylacines had disproportionately large heads, tall and gracile snouts with a flared canine region, and co…