The Tasmanian Devil – a fascinating Aussie animal which happens to be the largest living marsupial carnivore. Yes, they eat meat!!  They are around the size of a small stocky dog. The best place to learn about these creatures is at Devils@Cradle.

Where is Devils@Cradle?

Devils@Cradle is located in Cradle Mountain, Tasmania. Cradle Mountain on the western side of Tassie and directions on where they are located can be found here.

Devils@Cradle Night Time Feeding Tour

We decided to participate in the night-time feeding tour. Simply because these animals are primarily a nocturnal species which means you have a better chance of seeing them active in the evening. In the summertime, there are two nighttime feeding sessions as daylight savings is in place. We chose the earlier of the two sessions simply because there was a little more light for photos and videos.

Devils@Cradle use environmentally sensitive lighting which allows tourists and the keepers to monitor the social interactions and feeding habits of these little creatures.

Being able to watch these guys eat up close and personal is amazing. I didn’t realise how much I didn’t know about them until I was listening to the keeper explain their habits and then watching them in their natural environment. I don’t think there is anywhere else in Australia that you can watch these carnivores be fed this closely.

A bit about the Tasmanian Devil

Probably the most impressive fact about these guys is that they are the largest living marsupial carnivore… that’s pretty impressive! As in most cases, males are the larger and weigh around 8 – 10kgs and females are only around 6-7kgs. They are stocky animals with their head and chest often making up 40% of their weight.

Tassie Devils hunt alone but often gather around a carcass and as they hunt alone, they normally develop an order between the devils as to who is going to get the carcass first. The devil who takes the carcass continues eating until they have had enough. This can often be up to 40% of its weight and they can eat that in only 20 minutes. When they are done, they will leave the carcass for the other devils to enjoy.

Here are a few more photos of the Tasmanian Devils.

We also witnessed the spotted quoll being fed.

Take a look at this short video of the Tassie Devils at feeding time.

“Every man can transform the world from one of monotony and drabness to one of excitement and adventure.” – Irving Wallace