A Large Ferocious Head


by davidbunch - Date: 2010-07-17 - Word Count: 451 Share This!

Many domestic dogs and cats that have reverted to the wild are also located in Tasmania and they prey upon the same diminishing wildlife that the wolf uses for its subsistence. Lack of food, diseases transferred to the wolf by stray domestic animals, and trappers are all factors that caused this animal to become increasingly scarce. If more protection was offered by game wardens in keeping trappers out of protected areas, and also in destroying stray domestic animals, the future of the Tasmanian wolf might be more secure. The Tasmanian devil is so called because its large head looks quite ferocious and gruesome. Its general color is black, and its body somewhat bear-like. The devil does not need the extent of country that the wolf does, and is satisfied with living in rocky and inaccessible portions of the mountains. It preys upon smaller animals, such as wallabies, and also on carrion left by wolves.

Although the devil is more common than the wolf, it has been driven from many of its former haunts, and will, if not carefully protected in sanctuaries, vanish in a not too distant future. It has been placed only recently on the list of protected species. Fortunately it is found in several sanctuaries. The mainland form of the species has been extinct for some time.

Two other carnivorous pouched animals are the spotted tiger and native "cats." Although they are persecuted because of their raids on poultry houses, they are still fairly numerous. The Tasmanian kangaroo, or forester, is the only large kangaroo found on the island, and is distinguished from the great gray kangaroo of the mainland by its somewhat heavier build. This kangaroo species once inhabited almost the whole of Tasmania, but it became reduced to near extinction and is now restricted to the northeastern and central part of the island. Most of the small bands are to be seen on private properties, some in one or two game sanctuaries.

Bennett's wallaby is a race of the brush wallaby of the mainland. It is still found in scattered bands in the unsettled parts of the island, and may be at all altitudes, even near the snowy tops of the mountains. As the Tasmanian kangaroo is almost extinct, this large wallaby is usually referred to as a kangaroo. Because the species is hunted extensively for its fur, its future will have to be watched closely or it also will become extinct. The Tasmanian, or red-bellied, pademelon is a small species of wallaby that can be found in the low scrubs of Tasmania, on the islands of Bass Strait, and southern Victoria. This species has been called "rufous wallaby" because of the red color of the fur.

Related Tags: tasmanian devil, tasmanian wild life, rufous wallaby, tasmanian wolf, tasmanian kangaroo, pademelon

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