The diet of the Tasmanian Devil, Sarcophilus harrisii, as determined from analysis of scat and stomach contents

Abstract

Knowledge of the diets of carnivores is an essential precursor to understanding their role as predators in ecosystems. To date, understandingof the diet of Tasmanian Devils, Sarcophilus harrisii, is limited and based upon largely qualitative descriptions. We examined the dietsof Tasmanian Devils at six sites by identifying undigested hair, bone and feathers found in their scats. These sites range across differenthabitat types in coastal and inland Tasmania, and encompass devil populations that are known as both free of the Devil Facial TumourDisease (DFTD) and populations that are infected by the disease. Tasmanian Devil scats at coastal sites (n=27) contained ten species ofmammal, as well as birds, fish and insects. Scats collected from inland sites (n= 17) were comprised of six mammalian species, birds andinvertebrates. The most common food items were birds, Common Brushtail and Ringtail possums (Trichosurus vulpecula and Pseudocheirusperegrinus respectively), Tasmanian Pademelons (Thylogale billardierii) and Bennett's Wallabies (Macropus ruftgriseus). O fall the scats, 61% contained only one food group, 32% contained two groups, 4% contained three food items and only one scat (2%) contained four foodgroups. We supplement this information with stomach contents from road-killed devils, and compare our results with those of previousstudies, with a view to furthering our understanding ofthe ecology ofthe threatened Tasmanian Devil. Such information will be importantfor the management of wild and captive devil populations, particularly in light of DFTD.