Currently, Tasmanian devils are found only in Tasmania, although fossil evidence suggests that they once occupied much of the Australian mainland.
Currently, Tasmanian devils are found only in Tasmania, although widespread fossil evidence suggests that they once occupied much of the Australian mainland.
It is believed the devil became extinct on the mainland some 3,000 years ago, before European settlement. It has been suggested that their absence in many previously occupied areas can be explained by increasing aridity and competition with the introduced dingo. The dingo was prevented from entering Tasmania by the Bass Strait.
• Image | © Mathias Appel, Public Domain
• Sources | (Fahey & Kinder, 2001; Nowak, 1999; Save the Tasmanian Devil Program, April 2018)
