S01e01.Meet.The Devils
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00:00Australia's Tasmanian devil, renowned for its dangerous demeanour and terrifying temper,
00:15this is the world's largest carnivorous marsupial.
00:30They're fearless fighters
00:37and frenetic feeders,
00:38spending their lives screeching through the wild woods of Australia's island state,
00:51Tasmania.
00:56It's just one corner of this colossal ancient continent.
01:09Home to some of the planet's most unusual and fascinating animals.
01:17This is the secret life of the Tasmanian devil.
01:39When the first European settlers arrived in Australia,
01:45they found themselves surrounded by animal life that was utterly unfamiliar to them.
01:54They came up with their own names for these alien creatures.
02:00The koala was dubbed the monkey bear.
02:09The spiky echidna became the porcupine anteater.
02:15And the oddball wombat, a marsupial, was called a badger, a beaver and even a pig.
02:25These exotic creatures both mystified and delighted the new Australians.
02:30But there was one in Tasmania that totally terrified them.
02:48The settlers found the spine-chilling shrieks and unearthly wails that echoed around the bush
02:54at night so disturbing, they thought the animal that made them must be a kind of demon.
03:18They called it Beelzebub's pup, Beelzebub being one of the names for the devil.
03:36They're the size of a small dog, but so fearsome was the reputation of these animals,
03:41the early European settlers believed that if they fell from their horses in its territory,
03:47Beelzebub's pups would rip them limb from limb.
04:07Today Beelzebub's pup is called the Tasmanian devil.
04:15And although it's never actually dismembered a human,
04:20it's still famous for its extraordinary screeches,
04:26yowls
04:31and ear-splitting cacophonies.
04:38As well as its ferocious disposition.
04:53Devil fossils date back 70,000 years, suggesting the species is a relative newcomer.
04:59This carnivorous marsupial is a pocket predator that carries its young in a pouch
05:06and is always itching for a fight.
05:30In the wild, they live solely on the island of Tasmania,
05:46off the southeast coast of the Australian mainland,
05:50full of their preferred habitat, open forests and woodlands.
06:00It's thought the devils once lived on the mainland, but died out there.
06:06Perhaps because of competition with the dingo,
06:10a wild dog that arrived in Australia thousands of years ago and became an apex predator.
06:18But the dingo only made it to the mainland, which had already separated from Tasmania,
06:24so the island offered a safe haven for the surviving devils.
06:29But now they're facing extinction.
06:35The species is suffering from facial tumour disease,
06:39a deadly affliction they pass to one another through biting.
06:46It's estimated that since 1996, the population of Tasmanian devils
06:52has reduced by more than 80% and they're now officially designated as endangered.
06:59It's nearing nightfall and young male Carlos is emerging from his den.
07:22As devil numbers are in such sharp decline,
07:25he's part of a monitored population that is regularly health checked by conservationists.
07:34He's got an excellent sense of smell
07:38and he picks up on a scent. He sets off from his den to find the source.
07:48At two years old, he's now an adult. Lifespan in the wild is only around five or six years.
08:01He weighs over 17 pounds and may reach 26 pounds.
08:07All that weight is packed into a stocky body between one and a half and two and a half feet
08:12long. He may be modest in size, but this is one of nature's most formidable predators.
08:22His sturdy physique is packed with muscle.
08:35His legs are short and strong, while his large head and neck
08:39support one of the most proportionately powerful bites in the animal kingdom.
08:46The equivalent of a dog four times his size or for his body mass,
08:52more powerful than the bite of a tiger.
08:57The short broad skull shape means the muscles in the jaw have increased leverage,
09:04easily capable of crushing the skulls of live prey.
09:09And slicing clean through bones, fur and sinew.
09:21Large parts of the devil's waking hours are taken up with trying to find food.
09:26Mainly nocturnal, but happy to move around in the day, the devil's robust frame means it's
09:31able to travel long distances at a stretch, up to 10 miles at a time,
09:37looking for live animals to hunt or carry in to scavenge.
09:42Although it doesn't defend a territory, it does have a home range that it regularly travels around
09:48and go out in search of food.
09:50to scavenge.
10:05Although it doesn't defend a territory,
10:07it does have a home range that it regularly travels around.
10:13The size and shape of these ranges
10:15depends on how much food is in the area.
10:21Carlos is on his evening foraging expedition.
10:31And it isn't long before he runs into another devil.
10:46Devils spend a lot of time alone,
10:48but their home ranges often overlap.
10:51And when they do meet, there's almost always a fight.
10:59For the pugnacious, peppery devil,
11:02brawling comes as naturally as breathing.
11:09Females are just as feisty as the males
11:12and equally likely to engage in a rage-fueled fracas.
11:19For the males, it's all about dominance.
11:22Gaining ascendancy over their rivals
11:24will pay off once breeding season arrives in March,
11:27as females often favor dominant males.
11:31But these power plays to decide top devil take place all year,
11:36and they can be about almost anything.
11:48Arguments can happen over having the whole log to themselves.
12:00Or a blow-up could be over a tiny scrap of food.
12:08To a devil, it's all worth fighting.
12:18Or biting over.
12:21Which is why a disease passed through biting
12:24has been particularly devastating to them.
12:49At the moment, Carlos is the local top dog,
12:53the most dominant male.
12:57He has to be even more aggressive than everyone else to keep his title.
13:03Carlos is the local top dog, the most dominant male.
13:08He has to be even more aggressive than everyone else to keep his title.
13:32He has to be even more aggressive than everyone else to keep his title.
13:54And he has to maintain his position all year long.
13:58And he has to maintain his position all year long.
14:06Two-year-old Mongo.
14:17Every chance he gets, he challenges Carlos.
14:21He's looking to eventually usurp Carlos
14:24and take over his position as dominant male,
14:27but he's not going to be able to do that.
14:57Carlos has always chased off his challenger.
15:07He takes a lot of damage, but his backside is armoured with very thick skin.
15:13As well as giving a competitive edge at mating time,
15:16being the dominant male also gives an advantage on a day-to-day basis.
15:21At dinner time, he gets the first chance to feed.
15:28TASMANIAN DEVILS
15:35Tasmanian devils will eat almost anything.
15:39Insects, rabbits, rodents.
15:41They'll even actively hunt large live prey.
15:53Active hunting usually takes place at night,
15:56when the devil's eyesight comes into its own.
15:59It can see best in black and white, and its vision is based on movement,
16:04enabling it to spot the tiniest twitch the prey makes.
16:11White markings scattered over its flanks, chest and legs
16:15may help break up its distinctive predator outline.
16:20Hunting alone, using a combination of ambush and pursuit,
16:24a devil can bring down animals almost twice its size.
16:30Like wallabies and wombats.
16:36It's an efficient, deadly hunter.
16:40But its real forte is scavenging.
16:44Devils spend most of their time looking for carrion,
16:47the carcasses and remains of dead animals.
16:50It's not uncommon to encounter it in the bush.
16:57Although devils live mostly solitary lives,
17:00when they find a large meal like this, they're able to come together.
17:06Much like vultures and hyenas in Africa,
17:09Much like vultures and hyenas in Africa,
17:12by cleaning up carcasses, they keep the bush free from rotting meat
17:16that could spread disease.
17:21And they're a friend to the farmer,
17:23who would otherwise have to bury the bodies of dead livestock.
17:32This is one of the devil's most valuable roles in the ecosystem.
17:40Like many carnivores, they use the easiest and fastest route through the carcass.
17:51By ripping their way through the tail area and the stomach cavity first,
17:55they can access the rump muscles and intestines as quickly as possible.
18:02Leaving the harder to eat parts, like the head, for the late comers.
18:10The devil's dentition is adapted for both capturing live prey and crunching carrion.
18:23Like dogs, they have a whopping 42 teeth, compared to a cat's 30.
18:33Long, sharp teeth,
18:36long, sharp canines hold and pierce prey,
18:39and molars shear through fur, sinew and skeleton.
18:46They can eat all but the very biggest bones in a carcass.
18:52Tasmanian devils have even been known to chew through heavy steel wire.
19:06There are some large biological differences between marsupials,
19:11like the Tasmanian devil, and placental mammals, like dingoes and bats.
19:19Marsupials have very short pregnancies and give birth to tiny, unfleshed babies.
19:25Most other mammals develop inside the mother, within a placental sac.
19:30Marsupials also have a metabolic rate around 30% lower than placental mammals.
19:37This means they can live using much less energy,
19:40a distinct advantage compared to placental mammals.
19:45In fact, placental mammals have a much lower metabolic rate than placental mammals.
19:51This means they can live using much less energy,
19:54a distinct advantage for when times get tough.
20:01But in times of plenty, the high-octane lifestyle of the devil
20:05means it typically uses more energy than its vegetarian cousins.
20:10So it aims to consume about 15% of its body weight every day.
20:14For these committed carnivores, the search for food is relentless.
20:23The local males notice something nearby.
20:31Their sense of smell is so acute that they can detect food from around half a mile away.
20:39They stand on their hind legs,
20:42They stand on their hind legs to give them the extra height they need
20:46to pick up on a scent carried on the wind.
20:51When on the hunt for large prey like wallabies or wombats,
20:55the devil uses a mixture of stalking and short sprints.
21:03It relies on stamina rather than outright speed,
21:06but can still manage around 15 to 20 miles an hour for a few hundred yards.
21:13But if they're lucky, it'll be an easy meal, an animal carcass.
21:36The devils have struck gold. It's the remains of a wallaby.
22:07At first glance, it looks as though the devils are displaying
22:11their usual sky-high aggression levels over the carcass.
22:21But although it seems like a free-for-all,
22:24in fact, there's some devil etiquette at work here.
22:29The attitude is still pristine.
22:31When feeding at a large carcass like this,
22:33the Tasmanian devil has evolved to be communal,
22:36which is extremely unusual for a carnivore
22:39that spends most of its time being solitary.
22:44Everyone, even lower-ranking individuals, will get to feed.
22:50But the devil is not alone.
22:53Communal feeding means all the local devils get a good meal
22:57at least once in a while,
22:59and that's evolutionarily advantageous for the whole species.
23:06The devils are also known for their ability to adapt.
23:09They're able to adapt to any environment,
23:12and they're able to adapt to any situation.
23:15And that's evolutionarily advantageous for the whole species.
23:22But it means they have to make the switch
23:24from all-out war to having some table manners.
23:31At a big feed, they avoid direct conflict
23:34by using ritualised posturings.
23:39Although they snap and scream at each other constantly,
23:42their teeth rarely actually connect.
23:45Their profuse whiskers extend to just beyond the width of their shoulders,
23:49so they can use them as sensors to judge the distance
23:53between them and another devil.
23:58They may jaw-wrestle where they stand up
24:01and place their paws on each other's shoulders or chests
24:04and shake their heads constantly while vocalising.
24:13This behaviour is about each devil
24:16defending the amount of food that he needs,
24:19not the whole carcass.
24:21This is how they can all feed together.
24:27The size of the carcass affects the extent
24:30to which the feeding devil will chase off a challenger.
24:34And as this carcass gets smaller,
24:36dominant male Carlos decides his neighbour needs to back off.
24:46But even this exchange is without injury to either side.
24:53The challenge of feeding the devil
24:56is not just about the size of the carcass.
24:59It is without injury to either side.
25:22Whilst battle may be temporarily suspended,
25:25the noise level is still high.
25:30And this has its own important function.
25:33It alerts other devils in the area to the carcass...
25:40..so they can come and join in the communal feed,
25:43saving them the energy of looking for other food.
25:49Tasmanian devils have many excellent adaptations
25:52to Australia's often harsh environment.
25:56A vital one is that they can consume
25:59a massive 40% of their body weight in a single sitting.
26:05They then store this extra fat in their tails,
26:08giving them a superb advantage in times of famine,
26:11which can occur in the dry forests and coastal woodlands
26:14they prefer to live in.
26:25BIRDS CHIRP
26:28BIRDS CHIRP
26:52Unlike some of Australia's other marsupials,
26:55devils can also very effectively control their body temperature.
27:01This thermoregulation means they can be active
27:04in the often blazing hot daytime without overheating,
27:07which vastly increases their scavenging and hunting opportunities.
27:16Another adaptation is that they can get
27:19most of their water requirements from their food.
27:25This can help them in case of drought.
27:32A lower-ranking male picks up a scent.
27:35BIRDS CHIRP
28:00His eyesight is the weakest of his senses in the daytime,
28:04but it's good enough in combination with his sense of smell
28:07for him to find food when it's light.
28:14It's a lizard, a prime candidate for lunch,
28:18if he can track it down.
28:21LIZARD GROWLS
28:24The lizard takes cover under a rock.
28:28But the devil has another handy adaptation,
28:31wide feet with claws ideal for digging.
28:34LIZARD GROWLS
28:47Something scares him away.
28:50LIZARD GROWLS
28:58But he soon comes back.
29:03LIZARD GROWLS
29:12And this time, nothing will stand in the way of him getting his meal.
29:28The next animal to wander into devil territory is much more prickly.
29:35It's an echidna,
29:37an animal only found in Australia and neighbouring New Guinea.
29:43And it's utterly bizarre.
29:46It's from an early branch of mammals
29:49that still lays eggs like a reptile.
29:52And the males have a four-headed penis,
29:56Like the equally rare platypus, it's categorised as a monotreme,
30:01an animal that just has a single opening for excretion and reproduction.
30:11When threatened, it curls up and relies on its spikes to deter the aggressor.
30:17The spikes are actually modified hairs
30:20and they're a sharp and effective deterrent
30:23against even the super teeth of the devil.
30:27The echidna can move them individually or in small groups.
30:31This means it can use them to right itself if it gets upended.
30:44LIZARD GROWLS
30:46Even though the strange newcomer appears to be impenetrable,
30:50its discoverer wants to keep it to himself.
31:20LIZARD GROWLS
31:36But eventually, they both have to give it up as a mission impossible.
31:42LIZARD GROWLS
31:51BIRDS CHIRP
31:54Meanwhile, Mungo, trying to climb the ladder of dominance and usurp Carlos,
31:59comes across a lower-ranking male who's found a piece of meat.
32:09LIZARD GROWLS
32:13But before Mungo can get involved, top devil Carlos turns up.
32:19LIZARD GROWLS
32:33LIZARD GROWLS
32:48Now a third devil joins in.
32:57Finally, Mungo gets in on the action.
33:11He grabs a big hunk of meat and makes his escape.
33:19The rules of tolerance that come into play at a big carcass so everyone can get to feed
33:25simply don't apply when the find is small like here.
33:34It's every devil for himself.
33:42Carlos makes off with a large piece of the meat.
33:49And the other two fight over the scraps.
33:59Mungo did well out of the fight.
34:02LIZARD GROWLS
34:17Since they're mostly solitary, it's the presence of food that usually leads to many forms of devil communication.
34:26Vocalisations are the most obvious.
34:32LIZARD GROWLS
34:36LIZARD GROWLS
34:50There are at least 11 different kinds of vocalisation.
34:54One of the most common is the ah-f sound, which shows curiosity.
35:00Other low-level sounds are the bark and snort.
35:06And teeth chattering, which means the devil is uncomfortable.
35:17As the situation escalates, growling begins.
35:24Then full-scale screeching.
35:29LIZARD GROWLS
35:35This is when it's most likely to descend into a brawl or a chase.
35:40LIZARD GROWLS
35:50One of its most frequent communications is yawning.
35:55Its jaws can open to an astonishing 75 to 80 degrees wide.
36:01Humans can only manage around 33 degrees.
36:06A wide gape like this is common in carnivorous marsupials.
36:12The tiger quoll, a dedicated meat-eater, also opens its mouth extremely wide.
36:20Even as a baby.
36:25Yawning is a displacement activity that says,
36:29I've got a fine set of teeth here, but at the moment I'm not interested in a fight.
36:36It also helps relieve built-up pressure in their oversized jaws.
36:42LIZARD GROWLS
36:49Devils can also communicate via a range of chemical signals, especially in their poop.
36:57A diet that's so varied and largely indiscriminate results in disproportionately large faeces.
37:05An average scat is around 6 inches long, but they can be 10 inches.
37:11And it can be full of surprises.
37:16Items that researchers have found within devil scats include a woolen sock,
37:21aluminium foil, the head of a snake, and half a pencil.
37:28After a while, the poop turns white, very like a hyena's faeces.
37:33This is due to the high levels of bone in both of their scats.
37:38Like many carnivores, their poop is pungent and full of information for other devils.
37:44All the devils in an area like to poop communally in the same spot, known as a devil latrine.
37:52This serves as a kind of community notice board, letting local devils know who visited and when,
37:58possibly giving information about their age and breeding condition.
38:03Mungo does some marking, known as anogenital dragging.
38:10It may look like a male marking his territory, but females also do this, and devils aren't really territorial.
38:19The exact purpose of dragging is unknown, but it may be associated with the transmission of chemical signals, a form of communication.
38:32MUNGO CRIES
38:50Tail positions, erect fur, and head elevations are other non-vocal means of communication.
39:02MUNGO CRIES
39:11In devil society, the female of the species is not the gentler sex, and these two young females are arguing over a scrap of meat.
39:21It's not very big, but to a devil, it's still worth fighting over.
39:32MUNGO CRIES
39:39The girl's stiff legs and high head positions, as well as gaping jaws, signal loud and clear, back off.
39:46MUNGO CRIES
39:54But if all communication fails, for a devil, a fight is the preferred method of sorting an issue out.
40:02MUNGO CRIES
40:08Although he has to be subordinate to top dog Carlos, Mungo is able to dominate many of the other local devils.
40:16MUNGO CRIES
40:29Mungo's at the bottom of the bank, warning the other devil not to come any closer.
40:40His vocalizations intensify.
40:46MUNGO CRIES
40:53A win for Mungo, he's chased off the interloper.
41:07With this level of daily aggression, it's unsurprising that the devils can sustain damage.
41:14Injuries are everywhere.
41:18Battered faces, tattered ears, and scarred backsides.
41:32This low-ranking male has lost the whole of his upper lip and part of his nose.
41:39He tries to avoid other males and get some rest during the daytime.
41:47But Mungo is on the prowl.
41:52He's a much higher ranking, more aggressive devil.
42:00The disfigured devil has to give way.
42:04But Mungo hasn't finished making his point.
42:08He follows and pins down the other male, forcing him into a confrontation.
42:27Which leaves the disfigured male cowering.
42:39MUNGO CRIES
42:43After a hard day, or night, of inflicting or receiving grievous bodily harm, the devil typically retires to its den.
42:54It may regularly use three or four dens, and once established, it tends to use the same ones for life.
43:02In the mating season, it may share its home, but for the rest of the year, it's a cosy den for one.
43:14These tend to be within banks, in dense vegetation near water, or even in a small natural cave.
43:23Sometimes it will take the time to dig out its own den in a preferred location.
43:28Or it may use a discarded wombat burrow.
43:34Wombats are fellow marsupials, although unlike the devil, they're vegetarian.
43:41They like similar habitat, and being slightly larger than the devil, their burrows are roomy and make for a spacious devil apartment.
43:58Mungo leaves his den to start exploring his patch for food.
44:10The disfigured male has blundered into the area, right on top of Mungo's den.
44:17If the more dominant devil notices him, he'll be attacked.
44:21But his outstanding sense of smell alerts him to the danger just in time, before Mungo's able to get into attack position.
44:30This time, he gets away safely.
44:44Out looking for food, Mungo runs into Carlos.
44:51It's a good opportunity to test the waters once more, and see who's top dog.
45:08Carlos once again emerges triumphant, retaining the rights to first claim of a carcass, and preferential treatment from the females come breeding season.
45:21Carlos retires to his den for some peace and quiet.
45:27Although being a devil, he's not quiet for long.
45:51Tasmania is a paradise for animal life, but the devils don't get everything their way.
45:59The devil's love of carrion is often their downfall.
46:04As they try to feed on an easy source of carrion, roadkill, they frequently become it themselves.
46:11But moves are now underway to try and boost devil numbers, through a conservation approach known as rewilding.
46:20This involves releasing health-checked devils from captive populations into the Tasmanian wilderness.
46:30These astonishing carnivores have short but action-packed lives.
46:35With their monumental anger management issues and zero-tolerance attitude, for a devil every day is an adventure.
46:45Despite treating their fellow devils with extreme prejudice most of the time, they're able to share a meal for the benefit of all.
46:55Full of character, they're deafening volume.
46:59Their tenacity.
47:04And their ability to clean the land make them one of Tasmania's most fascinating and useful creatures.
47:28For more information visit www.tasmaniandevil.com