Australia's furry friends

Creatures of the night, Tasmanian devils are jet-black with a dashing white slash on the chest. They’re the world’s largest marsupial carnivore, hence their Latin name, Sarcophilus, meaning 'meat lover'.

To watch them feed is to witness a scene of mayhem, all hellish cries and destruction as whole animals are greedily devoured. Their big heads house powerful jaws so everything – fur, organs, even bone – goes down the devil hatch. Their favourite meal is the decaying flesh of a corpse; at a pinch they’ll take a sick or injured creature. Anything they don’t have to work too hard for.

See also the devil’s carnivorous little cousins: the quoll, or native cat. The eastern quoll has dark or ginger hair while the tiger (aka spotted-tail) quoll has brownish fur, and both species are dappled with white polka dots.

The First Nations name pademelon is so much nicer than the scientific one, Thylogale that means 'pouch weasel', which seems a rude way to refer to one of the cutest members of the kangaroo family.

Smaller than a wallaby, with a stubbier tail and dense fur to weather harsh winters, the red-bellied or Tasmanian pademelon is found right across the island. It’s often spotted grazing grasslands on the edge of forests, where these shy creatures can quickly hide if feeling threatened. Also keep an eye out for Tasmania’s other macropods (large-footed hopping marsupials): the Forester kangaroo, Bennett’s (red-necked) wallaby, the eastern bettong and the long-nosed potoroo.

Find out more about Tasmania's shyest inhabitants...and where to spot them!

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