--- title: "Tasmanian Devil (Sarcophilus harrisii) | AnimalTracks.wiki" description: "Pound for pound, the strongest estimated bite of any living mammal predator studied, bloodcurdling nocturnal screams, and a scavenger's take-no-prisoners appetite." image: "https://animaltracks.wiki/images/animals/tasmanian-devil-1.webp" published: "2026-08-31" updated: "2026-09-14" --- # Tasmanian Devil (*Sarcophilus harrisii*) > **Status**: Checked against 10 sources, listed under Sources below. > **Tagline**: Pound for pound, the strongest estimated bite of any living mammal predator studied, bloodcurdling nocturnal screams, and a scavenger's take-no-prisoners appetite. > **Soundtrack Vibe**: Aussie Garage Punk & Pub Rock // Amyl and the Sniffers, "Hertz" > **Soundtrack Links**: [Spotify](https://open.spotify.com/track/1GTPRD8z9c7kVDqwGbn52f) | [YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zb5Ja6V4OeY) > **Vibe Match**: High-voltage snarled vocals and raw, bone-crushing punk for a scavenger that mostly settles feeding disputes by voice: fierce snarls and high-pitched screams establish dominance at a carcass, and its jaws bite as hard as a dog about four times its weight. ## Biological Superpowers & Stats - **Taxonomy**: *Sarcophilus harrisii* - **Danger Level**: Medium - **Conservation Status**: Endangered ([IUCN Red List](https://doi.org/10.2305/iucn.uk.2008.rlts.t40540a10331066.en)) - **Superpower**: Pound for pound, no living mammal predator in a 2005 study had a higher estimated bite force than the Tasmanian devil. - **Habitat**: Coastal scrubland, eucalyptus forests, woodlands and farmland on the island of Tasmania - **Diet**: Mostly carrion, especially possums, kangaroos and wallabies, bones and fur included, plus slow or sick live prey, insects, reptiles and a little plant matter - **Tags**: marsupial, forest, apex-predator, super-bite-force, nocturnal ## Natural History & Behavior ## A Bite That Outclasses Its Size The Tasmanian devil (*Sarcophilus harrisii*) is the world's largest living carnivorous marsupial, though "largest" is relative: it is about the size of a small dog. Its body measures 57 to 65 centimeters, plus a 24-to-26-centimeter tail, and it weighs 5 to 14 kilograms, with males heavier than females. A devil can live five to eight years. A 2005 study estimated the bite force of a wide sample of living and fossil mammal predators and scaled it to body size, and no living species in the study came out ahead of the devil. ## Nature's Cleanup Crew Devils are scavengers first and hunters second. At night they follow their nose to carrion, mostly the carcasses of possums and macropods, the kangaroo and wallaby family. They also hunt live prey: slow animals such as wombats, sick wallabies and lambs, and small mammals and birds. Insects, snakes and small amounts of plant matter get eaten when a devil comes across them. Powerful jaws and shearing teeth let a devil eat most of a carcass, bones included, and fur goes down too. Devils live alone, but they often gather at carcasses, and the feeding turns rowdy, with aggression and loud calls. > **A Forty Percent Feast** In a 1993 field study of devils feeding together at carcasses, they gorged on roughly 40 percent of their own body mass. ## Mostly Bluff At feeding sites, aggressive encounters between devils seldom turn into physical fights, a 1993 field study found, though the few that did left damage and heavy scarring on the muzzle and rump, and adult males were scarred most. A devil's famous gape, a wide-open yawn, looks threatening but is more likely to signal fear and uncertainty than aggression. Devils also give off a foul odor under stress, may sneeze hard before a fight, and use fierce snarls and high-pitched screams to establish dominance at a carcass. Most of this is bluff, part of a ritual that cuts down on real fighting: after a nose-to-nose confrontation, during which their ears flush red, one or both devils usually back down. ## A Cancer That Brought the Species to the Brink Devil facial tumour disease (DFTD) is a contagious cancer, first detected in 1996. It spreads through biting, which is common when devils mate and feed, and the tumor cells themselves pass from one devil to the next. That makes each tumor a graft, tissue from a different animal, which the immune system should recognize and reject. A 2016 study explains how DFTD slips through: devils have very little genetic variation, and the tumor interferes with MHC molecules, which play a key role in immune responses to tumors and grafts. That appears to leave every devil susceptible. The disease is fatal in nearly every case, and within 20 years of its detection the species had declined by more than 80 percent overall, with local declines of more than 90 percent. Devils have shown they can respond. In five disease-hit populations tracked for a 2008 study, the cancer killed almost every devil past its first year of adult life, and the share of devils reaching breeding age unusually early rose 16-fold. The 2016 study also found matching signs of natural selection in three separate populations on genes linked in humans to immune function or cancer risk, which suggests devils are evolving resistance that could help the species survive. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### How strong is a Tasmanian devil's bite for its size? Pound for pound, stronger than any other living mammal predator's in a 2005 study. The researchers estimated bite force for a wide sample of living and fossil mammal predators and scaled it to body size, and among the living species the Tasmanian devil came out on top. Its head is massive, with well-developed jaw muscles and heavy molar teeth adapted for crushing bone. *(Source: [Wroe, McHenry & Thomason 2005]())* ### What is Devil Facial Tumour Disease (DFTD)? DFTD is a contagious cancer, first detected in 1996, that spreads when devils bite each other. The tumor cells themselves pass from one devil to the next, so each tumor is a graft of tissue from another animal. Devils have very little genetic variation, and the tumor interferes with MHC molecules, which play a key role in immune responses to tumors and grafts. Together these appear to leave every devil susceptible. The disease is fatal in nearly every case, and within 20 years of its detection the species had declined by more than 80 percent overall, with local declines of more than 90 percent. *(Source: [Epstein et al. 2016]())* ### When do a Tasmanian devil's ears turn red? During a nose-to-nose confrontation with another devil, after which one or both usually back down. Devils have a whole set of signals like this: a wide gape that is more likely to show fear than aggression, a foul odor produced under stress, a strong sneeze that may come before a fight, and snarls and high-pitched screams used to establish dominance at a carcass. Most of it is bluff, part of a ritual that lessens real fighting. *(Source: [San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance]())* ### Are Tasmanian devils dangerous to people? No, according to Tasmania's environment department. Devils do not attack people, though they will defend themselves if attacked, cornered or trapped, and despite their appearance they are timid, quiet animals that would much rather run away. They do have the jaws to back up a defence: a devil bites as hard as a dog about four times its weight, so a 10 kg devil has the bite of a 40 kg dog. *(Source: [Department of Natural Resources and Environment Tasmania 2022]())* ## Sources 1. [Tasmanian Devil. San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance.]() 2. [Sarcophilus harrisii (Tasmanian devil). Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan.]() 3. [Sarcophilus harrisii - Tasmanian Devil. Species Profile and Threats Database, Australian Government Department of the Environment.]() 4. [Tasmanian Devils FAQs. Department of Natural Resources and Environment Tasmania, 2022.]() 5. [Pemberton & Renouf (1993). A Field-Study of Communication and Social-Behavior of the Tasmanian Devil at Feeding Sites. Australian Journal of Zoology.]() 6. [Wroe, McHenry & Thomason (2005). Bite club: comparative bite force in big biting mammals and the prediction of predatory behaviour in fossil taxa. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences.]() 7. [Siddle et al. (2007). Transmission of a fatal clonal tumor by biting occurs due to depleted MHC diversity in a threatened carnivorous marsupial. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.]() 8. [Jones et al. (2008). Life-history change in disease-ravaged Tasmanian devil populations. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.]() 9. [Epstein et al. (2016). Rapid evolutionary response to a transmissible cancer in Tasmanian devils. Nature Communications.]() 10. [Hawkins et al. (2008). Sarcophilus harrisii. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2008: e.T40540A10331066.]() *Published August 31, 2026. 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