How does a Tasmanian devil mate?

Answer 1

The Tasmanian devil is a dasyurid, or carnivorous marsupial. It is a nocturnal hunter, seeking live prey which may include birds, insects and small mammals up to the size of wallabies. It also scavenges animal carcasses, particularly roadkill.

The Tasmanian devil is a solitary animal, hiding in thick scrub, caves or old wombat burrows during the day. It becomes aggressive when in competition for food.

Answer 2

Tasmanian devils have quite bizarre mating rituals.

The female ignores timid and docile males (except, sometimes, as a practice run) and chooses a strong, dominant male that bites and scratches her. She has a gentle whining call, and after issuing it, she expects the male to chase her. After chasing and catching her, the male brings her to his den, continuing to bite and scratch her into submission. When she is satisfied with his dominance, she falls into a trance-like state while he mates with her. Afterward, the male remains with the female to watch over her. However, when the exhausted male finally drops off to sleep, the female will wait at the entrance to the den, before making a dash for freedom. Often, the male will catch her very quickly and bring her back to the den.

The reason that the female tries to run away is that she wants to ensure a strong gene pool among her joeys, so her instincts are to try and mate with as many different makes as possible. She is sometimes successful, and a litter of Tasmanian devil joeys may have several different fathers. Strangely, despite her primiscuous behaviour, Tasmanian devils often mate for life.

Answer 3

Rough behaviour is what attracts a Tasmanian devil to its mate.

Tasmanian devils are attracted to a mate based on their strength. The female ignores timid and docile males (except, sometimes, as a practice run) and chooses a strong, dominant male that bites and scratches her. She has a gentle whining call, and after issuing it, she expects the male to chase her. After chasing and catching her, the male brings her to his den, continuing to bite and scratch her into submission. When she is satisfied with his dominance, she falls into a trance-like state while he mates with her.

Answer 4

Tasmanian devils are nocturnal feeders, and shy of human contact. They are solitary creatures and highly territorial. They gained their name from the nightmarish screams they make when fighting over territory or food, and they do not share their kills or whatever they scavenge.

Answer 5

Tasmanian devils are solitary creatures and highly territorial. They gained their name from the nightmarish screams they make when fighting over territory or food, and they do not share their kills or whatever they scavenge.

Answer 6

Tasmanian devils breed once a year, usually between late summer and early winter in Australia (February to June). The actual mating season goes for around three weeks, during which time the Tasmanian devil will mate with more than one other male or female, and the young joeys are born around 18 days later.

The Tasmanian devil is a marsupial so, like most (not all) marsupials, it has a pouch to protect its joeys while they are developing. After birth, the joeys then make their way to the mother's pouch where they latch onto a teat. Competition for the teats is fierce. A female Tasmanian devil actually may have several dozen tiny embryos in one birth - anywhere between 20 and 40 - but only four at most can latch onto a teat in the mother's pouch. The rest are lost.

The mating ritual of Tasmanian devils is quite bizarre. The female ignores timid and docile males (except, sometimes, as a practice run) and chooses a strong, dominant male that bites and scratches her. She has a gentle whining call, and after issuing it, she expects the male to chase her. After chasing and catching her, the male brings her to his den, continuing to bite and scratch her into submission. When she is satisfied with his dominance, she falls into a trance-like state while he mates with her. Afterward, the male remains with the female to watch over her. However, when the exhausted male finally drops off to sleep, the female will wait at the entrance to the den, before making a dash for freedom. Often, the male will catch her very quickly and bring her back to the den.

The reason that the female tries to run away is that she wants to ensure a strong gene pool among her joeys, so her instincts are to try and mate with as many different makes as possible. She is sometimes successful, and a litter of Tasmanian devil joeys may have several different fathers. Strangely, despite her promiscuous behaviour, Tasmanian devils often mate for life.

Answer 7

Mating season for Tasmanian devils is in Australia's Autumn season, particularly around March-April, although it may start in February.

It is the female that chooses a male, usually one that is larger, stronger and more aggressive than the others. She will attract prospective suitors with a whining call, and she will expect the male to chase her into submission. Females tend to ignore males that do not exhibit strong dominant behaviour, although they have been observed egging on younger, inexperienced and timid males, only to turn and walk away just at the point of actual copulation.

After the male has caught the female, he drags her to his den where she submits to being bitten and scratched, apparently dropping into a very quiet, trance-like state while he mates with her. Mating may take around an hour, and the male and female are likely to mate several times over a two-day period.

Surprisingly, the male is protective, remaining with the female to watch over her as she sleeps afterwards. However, the female does not have the same loyalty. When the exhausted male finally drops off to sleep, the female sneaks out and repeats the mating ritual with another male, in order to ensure her joeys have the best chances of survival by having different fathers. She will position herself at the entrance to the den, before making a sudden escape. Often, the male will catch her very quickly and return her to the den. She is sometimes successful, and a litter of Tasmanian devil joeys may have several different fathers. Despite this, Tasmanian devils often mate for life.

The young joeys are born around 18 days later. The Tasmanian devil is a marsupial so, like most (not all) marsupials, it has a pouch to protect its joeys while they are developing. After birth, the joeys then make their way to the mother's pouch where they latch onto a teat. Competition for the teats is fierce. A female Tasmanian devil actually may have several dozen tiny embryos in one birth - anywhere between 20 and 40 - but only four at most can latch onto a teat in the mother's pouch. The rest are lost.

Answer 8

Mating season for Tasmanian devils is in Australia's Autumn season, particularly around March-April, with the young joeys being born in April, after a short gestation.