What is the life cycle of a Tasmanian devil?

Answer 1

Tasmanian devils reproduce just once a year. They tend to mate in March and give birth in April, but this time can extend over several months, with not all Tasmanian devils giving birth at the same time.

The average number of Tasmanian Devil babies, or joeys, that a mother may be rearing at any one time is 2-3. 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 as, once a joey is born, it must compete with the other joeys in the litter to determine which ones will enter into the backwards-opening pouch of the mother.

Those that survive are attached to the nipple for about 100 days. During this time, they gain external ears at 15 days old, they gain eyelids at 16 days old, they gain whiskers at 17 days old, and they gain lips at 20 days old. They get their first fur at 49 days old, and are completely furred by about 90 days old. At about 105 days old, they leave the pouch for the first time, and they will never return. They stay in the den for about three more months, leave the den more and more often, and are independent at about seven or eight months old. This happens in January. The females can mate in the next March, and they do. After a gestation period of about 21 days, the young are born in late March or in April. Young females are sexually mature at around two years of age. Then cycle continues.

In its natural habitat, the Tasmanian Devil lives to about 6 years, but can live up to 8 years in captivity.

Answer 2

Tasmanian devils reproduce sexually. They reach reproductive age at 2 years, with a small number of females reaching reproductive age soon after one year old. These marsupials mate continuously for up to five days; they actually copulate for 15 seconds then take a break of 20 minutes. Tasmanian devils reproduce just once a year. They tend to mate between February and May and give birth between March and June, but this time can extend over several months, with not all Tasmanian devils giving birth at the same time. The gestation period of the Tasmanian Devil is about 21 days.

The average number of Tasmanian Devil babies, or joeys, that a mother may be rearing at any one time is 2-3. 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 as, once a joey is born, it must compete with the other joeys in the litter to determine which ones will enter into the backwards-opening pouch of the mother.

Those that survive are attached to the teat for about three months. At around 105 days old, they leave the pouch for the first time, and do not return. They stay in the den for about three more months, leave the den more and more often, and are independent at about seven or eight months old.

Answer 3

Like all marsupials, the young of a Tasmanian Devil is called a joey.

It is not called an "imp", a "cub" or a "pup".

Answer 4

Joey