What If Tasmanian Devils Were Never Threatened by Disease?

Introduction: The Fierce Little Survivor

Stocky, black-furred, and famously loud, the Tasmanian devil (Sarcophilus harrisii) is one of the most recognizable marsupials of Australia. Despite its modest size — rarely more than 12 kilograms — its bone-crushing jaws, nocturnal habits, and piercing screams have earned it a reputation larger than life.

Yet in the last three decades, the species has faced its greatest threat: devil facial tumor disease (DFTD), a contagious cancer that has spread across Tasmania, wiping out up to 90% of local populations. Devils, once abundant, now survive in fragmented pockets and conservation enclosures.

But what if this disease had never appeared? What would Tasmania’s wilds look like today if devils had remained healthy and strong?

The Tasmanian Devil: A Portrait of Power in Miniature

Tasmanian devils are muscular, dog-like marsupials with coarse black fur often marked with irregular white patches. They have short, powerful limbs, a thick tail used for fat storage, and a head that seems oversized for their body. Their jaws can generate some of the strongest bite forces per body weight among mammals, allowing them to crunch through bones with ease.

Their most famous feature, though, may be their voices. Devils scream, screech, and growl in ways that echo eerily across the bush, especially when feeding. These vocalizations, combined with their toothy gape, are used more for intimidation than actual combat.

Behavior: Scavengers and Fighters

Devils are primarily nocturnal, emerging at night to feed. Though capable hunters of small animals, they are best known as scavengers, consuming carrion of wallabies, possums, wombats, and livestock carcasses. Their digestive systems allow them to devour nearly every part of an animal — fur, bones, and organs — leaving little waste.

Social feeding is chaotic. Multiple devils gather around a carcass, screeching and lunging, yet their quarrels rarely result in serious injury. This competitive behavior ensures food is consumed quickly, reducing the chance of attracting larger predators.

Reproduction and Life Cycle

Devils breed in autumn. Males compete fiercely for mates, and females give birth to tiny, jellybean-sized joeys — sometimes up to 30 at once. Yet only four can survive, as the mother has only four teats inside her pouch.

The young stay in the pouch for about four months, later riding on the mother’s back or hiding in dens as she forages. Devils mature quickly, breeding by their second year, but lifespans are short — often no more than six years in the wild.

Ecological Role: Nature’s Clean-Up Crew

As scavengers, devils perform vital ecological services. By consuming carrion, they prevent disease spread and recycle nutrients back into ecosystems. Their bone-crushing ability means nothing is wasted.

In Tasmania, where large predators like thylacines are gone, devils became the island’s top marsupial carnivore. Their presence influences the behavior of herbivores like wallabies, helping to keep browsing pressure on vegetation in balance.

The Impact of Disease

Devil facial tumor disease, first observed in the mid-1990s, is a rare transmissible cancer spread through biting — a common behavior during feeding and mating. Tumors grow around the mouth and face, preventing feeding and leading to death within months.

Populations in many regions have collapsed by 70–90%, leaving vast areas with few or no devils. Their decline has had ripple effects:

• Carrion accumulation: With fewer devils, carcasses linger longer, increasing food for invasive species like feral cats.
• Rise of competitors: Cats and foxes (where present) face less pressure, spreading further and threatening native wildlife.
• Vegetation shifts: Without devils indirectly checking herbivore populations, browsing pressure increases, altering plant communities.

The absence of devils is not just the loss of a species — it’s a shift in the very fabric of Tasmania’s ecosystems.

What If Devils Had Stayed Healthy?

1. Stronger Ecosystems Without disease, devils would remain abundant across Tasmania. Their scavenging would keep carrion cycles efficient, leaving less for invasive predators. Healthy devil populations could act as buffers against feral cats, reducing predation on small native birds and mammals.
2. Balanced Herbivore Populations Though devils do not directly prey heavily on large herbivores, their presence influences ecosystem balance. By cleaning up carcasses and occasionally hunting smaller animals, they help regulate the food web. In a Tasmania full of devils, wallaby overgrazing pressures might be less severe.
3. Reduced Spread of Invasives Feral cats, which have devastated native wildlife across mainland Australia, thrive in the absence of devils. A Tasmania rich in devils would see less expansion of cats, giving small marsupials, reptiles, and birds a better chance at survival.
4. Cultural and Tourism Impact Devils are already a symbol of Tasmania, but a world without disease would mean tourists could reliably see wild devils across the island. Their iconic screeches echoing at night would be a common experience, strengthening their cultural and ecological identity.

Comparisons to Other Scavengers

We can glimpse what devils might still achieve by looking at parallels elsewhere:

• Hyenas in Africa: Efficient scavengers that consume nearly everything, preventing disease spread.
• Vultures in Asia: Their decline led to carcass build-ups and increases in feral dog populations.
• Wolves in Yellowstone: Though not scavengers alone, their return reduced carrion accumulation, stabilizing ecosystems.

Devils play a similar role in Tasmania. Without disease, they would still be the island’s “vultures of the night,” keeping nature clean and balanced.

A Modern-Day Encounter Without Disease

Imagine camping in Tasmania’s bushland. At night, the forest hums with distant screeches and growls. A group of devils squabble over a wallaby carcass, their sharp teeth flashing, their stocky bodies jostling for position. The smell of carrion disappears quickly — nothing goes to waste.

The next morning, the forest floor is clean, no trace of the carcass left. Nearby, a wedge-tailed eagle circles overhead, a partner in the island’s cycle of life and death. In this world, devils are everywhere — noisy, scrappy, efficient, and essential.

Closing Reflection

The Tasmanian devil is more than a curiosity of marsupial evolution. It is a keystone scavenger, a cleaner, a regulator, and a symbol of wild Tasmania. Disease stripped the island of much of its ghostly choir of screeches, leaving ecosystems altered and quieted.

But in imagining a Tasmania where devils were never threatened by disease, we see a different island: noisier, cleaner, more balanced, and more secure for countless other species.

To picture healthy devils in every valley and forest is to picture an ecosystem whole — an island where the little devils still rule the night, fierce voices carrying across the dark.