Tasmanian devils are usually solitary and not territorial, but may interact aggressively over food and follow a hierarchy in captivity.
Tasmanian devils are usually solitary.
Occasionally, when individuals congregate at food sources, such as carrion, they interact aggressively but they are not territorial. Many of their auditory and display behaviors are bluff and part of a ritual to minimize harmful fighting when feeding communally at a large carcass.
There also seems to be a learned dominance hierarchy, at least in captive situations.
• Image | © Mathias Appel, Public Domain
• Sources | (Fahey & Kinder, 2001; Nowak, 1999; Save the Tasmanian Devil Program, April 2018)
