Love is in the air: Tasmanian devils in captivity as part of a breeding project at the Tasmanian Devil Conservation Park in Taranna, Tasmania.
Credit: AFP
SYDNEY: First researchers found that Tasmanian devils are mating younger, now evidence suggests that they have extended their breeding season to last all year too.
The change in behaviour is thought to be a response to the deadly cancer that is threatening to wipe out the species. Wildlife biologist David Pemberton at the Tasmanian Department of Primary Industries said the two new findings appeared to be linked.
Accelerated life cycle
The illness, which causes facial tumours, is spread by contact between the animals and generally kills them within three to six months. As a result they are often living for only two years compared to six in the past, said Pemberton.
Researchers have also found that the devil's young are being born throughout the year, he said, which appears to be a way the species is compensating for its low population density.
Pemberton, who has been studying the creatures for more than two decades, said that in the past, mating was restricted to a three-week period around March and April, in the southern autumn.
"Where the population has decreased dramatically there is extended breeding," he said, saying it appears to have lengthened the period during which the female can reproduce.
"With a low population at least if a girl cycles now it appears that a boy will find her," he added.
Sharp decline
The facial tumours are spread through biting. Since the disease was first observed in 1996, there has been a sharp decline in sightings of the devil across Tasmania.
The species is restricted to the island state after competition from the dingo led to its extinction on mainland Australia. It is Australia's largest marsupial carnivore after the extinction last century of its distant cousin, the thylacine or Tasmanian tiger.
Early European settlers named the feisty marsupial the devil for its spine-chilling screeches, dark appearance and reputed bad temper which, along with its steeltrap jaw, made it appear incredibly fierce.
