One of the world’s most unique animals recently returned to the mainland of Australia—for the first time in about 3,000 years. Last year, conservationists released 26 Tasmanian devils into a wildlife sanctuary north of Sydney, Australia’s biggest city.
Tasmanian devils are about the size of small dogs. Like kangaroos, they are marsupials, meaning the females carry their babies in pouches on their bodies. The devils get their name from their high-pitched shrieks, sharp teeth, and feisty tempers.
They once lived throughout Australia. But they died out on the mainland centuries ago, possibly because they couldn’t compete for food with wild dogs called dingoes.
The devils survived only on the Australian island of Tasmania, where no dingoes live. Though the island’s devils have no natural predators, they are endangered. A highly contagious form of cancer has wiped out nearly 90 percent of the population. Wildlife experts hope that returning the animals to Australia’s mainland will help save the species.
As hunters and scavengers, Tasmanian devils help keep their ecosystem healthy by eating the bodies of dead animals. Some wildlife experts say the devils could help control the populations of wild cats and foxes that threaten smaller animals.
“The reintroduction of devils to mainland Australia is a game-changer for conservation in this country,” says Mark Hutchinson of the wildlife protection group WildArk.