Editing Tasmanian devil (section)

===Feeding===
[[File:Devil-eating-roadkill.jpg|right|thumb|A devil eating roadkill|alt=A black devil standing on a patch of cut grass in a paddock, next to a wire fence. It is biting into the torn carcass of an animal.]]
Tasmanian devils can take prey up to the size of a small [[kangaroo]], but in practice they are opportunistic and eat [[carrion]] more often than they hunt live prey. Although the devil favours [[wombat]]s because of the ease of predation and high fat content, it will eat all small native mammals such as [[wallabies]],<ref name="ADW">{{cite web |url=https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Sarcophilus_harrisii/ |title=Sarcophilus harrisii (Tasmanian devil) |website=animaldiversity.org}}</ref> [[bettong]] and [[potoroo]]s, domestic mammals (including sheep and rabbits),<ref name="ADW"/> birds (including [[penguin]]s),<ref>{{Cite web|title=Tasmanian devils on tiny Australian island wipe out thousands of penguins|url=https://www.9news.com.au/national/tasmanian-devils-on-tiny-australian-island-wipe-out-thousands-of-penguins/9a6da8f3-d6df-44b9-bd63-53f818858125|access-date=2021-06-22|website=www.9news.com.au|date=22 June 2021 }}</ref> fish, fruit, vegetable matter, insects, tadpoles, frogs and reptiles. Their diet is widely varied and depends on the food available.<ref name=DPIWEweb1/><ref name=of>Owen and Pemberton, pp. 11–13.</ref><ref name=orit/><ref>Owen and Pemberton, p. 108.</ref> Before the extinction of the [[thylacine]], the Tasmanian devil ate thylacine joeys left alone in dens when their parents were away. This may have helped to hasten the extinction of the thylacine, which also ate devils.<ref name="Owen and Pemberton-44"/> They are known to hunt water rats by the sea and forage on dead fish that have been washed ashore. Near human habitation, they can also steal shoes and chew on them,<ref name=of/> and eat the legs of otherwise robust sheep that have slipped in wooden shearing sheds, leaving their legs dangling below.<ref name=ors/> Other unusual matter observed in devil scats includes collars and tags of devoured animals, intact echidna spines, pencil, plastic and jeans.<ref name="Owen and Pemberton-129">Owen and Pemberton, p. 129.</ref> Devils can bite through metal traps, and tend to reserve their strong jaws for escaping captivity rather than breaking into food storage.<ref name="Owen and Pemberton-129"/> Due to their relative lack of speed, they cannot run down a wallaby or a rabbit, but they can attack animals that have become slow due to illness.<ref name=of/> They survey flocks of sheep by sniffing them from {{cvt|10|-|15|m}} away and attack if the prey is ill. The sheep stamp their feet in a show of strength.<ref name="Owen and Pemberton-129"/>

Despite their lack of extreme speed, there have been reports that devils can run at {{cvt|25|km/h}} for {{cvt|1.5|km}}, and it has been conjectured that, before European immigration and the introduction of livestock, vehicles and [[roadkill]], they would have had to chase other native animals at a reasonable pace to find food.<ref name=ors/> Pemberton has reported that they can average {{cvt|10|km/h}} for "extended periods" on several nights per week, and that they run for long distances before sitting still for up to half an hour, something that has been interpreted as evidence of ambush predation.<ref name=ors/>

Devils can dig to forage [[corpse]]s, in one case digging down to eat the corpse of a buried horse that had died due to illness. They are known to eat animal cadavers by first ripping out the [[digestive system]], which is the softest part of the anatomy, and they often reside in the resulting cavity while they are eating.<ref name=of/>

On average, devils eat about 15% of their body weight each day, although they can eat up to 40% of their body weight in 30 minutes if the opportunity arises.<ref name=Pemberton1993/> This means they can become very heavy and lethargic after a large meal; in this state they tend to waddle away slowly and lie down, becoming easy to approach. This has led to a belief that such eating habits became possible due to the lack of a predator to attack such bloated individuals.<ref name=orit/>

Tasmanian devils can eliminate all traces of a carcass of a smaller animal, devouring the bones and fur if desired.<ref>Owen and Pemberton, pp. 11–15, 20, 36.</ref> In this respect, devils have earned the gratitude of Tasmanian farmers, as the speed at which they clean a carcass helps prevent the spread of insects that might otherwise harm livestock.<ref name="Owen and Pemberton-14">Owen and Pemberton, p. 14.</ref> Some of these dead animals are disposed of when the devils haul off the excess feed back to their residence to continue eating at a later time.<ref name=of/>

The diet of a devil can vary substantially for males and females, and seasonally, according to studies at Cradle Mountain. In winter, males prefer medium mammals over larger ones, with a ratio of 4:5, but in summer, they prefer larger prey in a 7:2 ratio. These two categories accounted for more than 95% of the diet. Females are less inclined to target large prey, but have the same seasonal bias. In winter, large and medium mammals account for 25% and 58% each, with 7% small mammals and 10% birds. In summer, the first two categories account for 61% and 37% respectively.<ref name=jb98/>

Juvenile devils are sometimes known to climb trees;<ref>Owen and Pemberton, pp. 49–50.</ref> in addition to small vertebrates and invertebrates, juveniles climb trees to eat grubs and birds' eggs.<ref name="Owen and Pemberton-69"/> Juveniles have also been observed climbing into nests and capturing birds.<ref name=jb00/> Throughout the year, adult devils derive 16.2% of their biomass intake from [[arboreal]] species, almost all of which is possum meat, just 1.0% being large birds. From February to July, subadult devils derive 35.8% of their biomass intake from arboreal life, 12.2% being small birds and 23.2% being possums. Female devils in winter source 40.0% of their intake from arboreal species, including 26.7% from possums and 8.9% from various birds.<ref name=jb00/> Not all of these animals were caught while they were in trees, but this high figure for females, which is higher than for male spotted-tailed quolls during the same season, is unusual, as the devil has inferior tree climbing skills.<ref name=jb00/>

[[File:Tasmanian Devils feeding.jpg|right|thumb|Three Tasmanian devils feeding. Eating is a social event for the Tasmanian devil, and groups of 2 to 5 are common.|alt=Three Tasmanian devils standing on bark chips huddled with their heads close together.]]
Although they hunt alone,<ref name=DPIWEweb1/> there have been unsubstantiated claims of communal hunting, where one devil drives prey out of its habitat and an accomplice attacks.<ref name=of/> Eating is a social event for the Tasmanian devil. This combination of a solitary animal that eats communally makes the devil unique among carnivores.<ref name="Owen and Pemberton-69"/> Much of the noise attributed to the animal is a result of raucous communal eating, at which up to 12 individuals can gather,<ref name=Pemberton1993/> although groups of two to five are common;<ref>Owen and Pemberton, p. 71.</ref> it can often be heard several kilometres away. This has been interpreted as notifications to colleagues to share in the meal, so that food is not wasted by rot and energy is saved.<ref name=of/> The amount of noise is correlated to the size of the carcass.<ref name=of/> The devils eat in accordance with a system. Juveniles are active at dusk, so they tend to reach the source before the adults.<ref name=orit>Owen and Pemberton, pp. 70–73.</ref> Typically, the [[dominance (ethology)|dominant]] animal eats until it is satiated and leaves, fighting off any challengers in the meantime. Defeated animals run into the bush with their hair and tail erect, their conqueror in pursuit and biting their victim's rear where possible. Disputes are less common as the food source increases as the motive appears to be getting sufficient food rather than oppressing other devils.<ref name=orit/> When [[quoll]]s are eating a carcass, devils will tend to chase them away.<ref name=jb00/> This is a substantial problem for [[spotted-tailed quoll]]s, as they kill relatively large possums and cannot finish their meal before devils arrive. In contrast, the smaller [[eastern quoll]]s prey on much smaller victims, and can complete feeding before devils turn up.<ref name=jb00/> This is seen as a possible reason for the relatively small population of spotted-tailed quolls.<ref name=jb00/>

A study of feeding devils identified twenty physical postures, including their characteristic vicious yawn, and eleven different vocal sounds, including clicks, shrieks and various types of [[growling|growls]], that devils use to communicate as they feed.<ref name=Pemberton1993/> They usually establish dominance by sound and physical posturing,<ref name=dinner>{{cite web |title=Devils at dinner |url=http://www.tassiedevil.com.au/tasdevil.nsf/Tasmaniandevils/EB75209E057BE43BCA2577BA0012D7AB?OpenDocument |publisher=Save the Tasmanian Devil |date=10 December 2010 |access-date=4 May 2011 |archive-date=20 March 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180320123807/http://www.tassiedevil.com.au/tasdevil.nsf/Tasmaniandevils/EB75209E057BE43BCA2577BA0012D7AB?OpenDocument |url-status=dead }}</ref> although fighting does occur.<ref name=Pemberton1993/> The white patches on the devil are visible to the night-vision of its colleagues.<ref name=orit/> Chemical gestures are also used.<ref name=orit/> Adult males are the most aggressive,<ref>Guiler (1992), pp. 8–10.</ref> and scarring is common.<ref>Owen and Pemberton, pp. 71–73.</ref> They can also stand on their hind legs and push each other's shoulders with their front legs and heads, similar to [[sumo wrestling]].<ref name=orit/> Torn flesh around the mouth and teeth, as well as punctures in the rump, can sometimes be observed, although these can also be inflicted during breeding fights.<ref name=orit/>

Digestion is very fast in dasyurids and, for the Tasmanian devil, the few hours taken for food to pass through the small gut is a long period in comparison to some other dasyuridae.<ref>Tyndale-Biscoe, p. 147.</ref> Devils are known to return to the same places to defecate, and to do so at a communal location, called a ''devil latrine''.<ref name="Owen and Pemberton-25">Owen and Pemberton, p. 25.</ref> It is believed that the communal defecation may be a means of communication that is not well understood.<ref name="Owen and Pemberton-25"/> Devil scats are very large compared to body size; they are on average {{cvt|15|cm}} long, but there have been samples that are {{cvt|25|cm}} in length.<ref name="Owen and Pemberton-25"/> They are characteristically grey in colour due to digested bones, or have bone fragments included.<ref name=fed/>

Owen and Pemberton believe that the relationship between Tasmanian devils and thylacines was "close and complex", as they competed directly for prey and probably also for shelter. The thylacines preyed on the devils, the devils scavenged from the thylacine's kills, and the devils ate thylacine young. Menna Jones hypothesises that the two species shared the role of [[apex predator]] in Tasmania.<ref>Owen and Pemberton, pp. 43–47.</ref> [[Wedge-tailed eagle]]s have a similar carrion-based diet to the devils and are regarded as competitors.<ref>Owen and Pemberton, pp. 60–62.</ref> Quolls and devils are also seen as being in direct competition in Tasmania. Jones believed that the quoll has evolved into its current state in just 100–200 generations of around two years as determined by the equal spacing effect on the devil, the largest species, the spotted-tail quoll, and the smallest species, the eastern quoll.<ref>Owen and Pemberton, pp. 56–58.</ref> Both the Tasmanian devil and the quolls appears to have evolved up to 50 times faster than the average evolutionary rate amongst mammals.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://planetearth.nerc.ac.uk/news/story.aspx?id=1082|title=Mammals evolved at a steady pace|date=2011-10-26|archive-date=2011-12-30|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111230005839/http://planetearth.nerc.ac.uk/news/story.aspx?id=1082|access-date=14 May 2016}}</ref>