• Curious Creatures of Tasmania’s Wilderness
    Awake!—2012 | April

    • BY DAY, the wilderness is tranquil and quiet. But at night, spine-chilling growls and screams echo through the forest. The source of the screeching? A feisty marsupial with an unfortunate name​—the Tasmanian devil. These sturdy animals can look and sound incredibly fierce, especially when dining on a carcass. Yet their rowdy bickering is mostly bluff.

      These devils can clear the forest of carrion with amazing speed. Their powerful jaws and teeth can devour almost any carcass​—skin, bones, and all. In fact, a devil can eat up to 40 percent of its body weight in half an hour​—a feat comparable to a human devouring a 55-pound (25 kg) steak at one sitting!