Tasmania, and the devils that live there

In Pangaea, plants and animals moved freely among the continental plates. Antarctica, Australia, southern Africa, and southern South America shared a similar climate, and thus similar species. Then, over 100 million years ago, those continents began to break apart.

As they moved, their climates changed. The species that lived on them changed too, evolving to meet the demands of their new homes.

Tasmania ended up in a curious place. Far to its south, Antarctica became ice-covered. To its north, much of Australia grew hotter and dryer as it shifted nearer to the equator. Tasmania, with its southerly latitude and oceanic surroundings, stayed mild and humid.



Continental drift made Tasmania a sort of evolutionary refuge, where species could remain largely unchanged for millions of years. Recently, through a completely different process, it has become a refuge of another sort, too.




Tasmanian Tigers, Tasmanian Nativehens, and Tasmanian Devils all disappeared from the mainland around that time, remaining only on the island after which they would be named. Introduced Dingoes may be to blame, along with a growing human population and some sudden climatic change. Safe from these pressures, Tasmania became the only stronghold for these imperiled creatures.

For Tasmanian Tigers, sadly, the heart-shaped island would also be the site of their demise. European settlers blamed it for attacks on sheep and poultry, and hunted it to extinction by the 1930s.

Tasmanian Nativehens remain common in Tasmania. They prefer agricultural areas, where they graze on low vegetation, seeds, and insects. They are flightless, so Tasmania provides a safe haven from introduced predators like Dingoes and Red Foxes. A return to their former range on Australia is unlikely for these defenseless birds, but as long as Tasmania remains fox- and Dingo-free, their future may be secure.



To safeguard Tasmanian Devils, the Australian and Tasmanian governments administer the Save the Tasmanian Devil Program. Among other things, this involves keeping an insurance population of disease-free devils in captivity. They can be used to bolster the wild population, improve genetic diversity, and even repopulate.

Part of this population lives on the Australian mainland in a breeding program called Aussie Ark. In 2020, along with several partners, Aussie Ark released 26 devils into a large sanctuary north of Sydney — the first wild Tasmanian Devils in mainland Australia in over 3000 years! More individuals have since been released, and they are now beginning to breed on their own.

Aussie Ark has an ambitious vision for these mainland devils. They believe the animals may rebalance the environment around them, both in their role as a scavenger, and as a predator that might help control introduced species.