Why Is It Called a Tasmanian Devil? Screams and Snarls

How the Tasmanian devil got its name

When British colonists arrived in Tasmania, then called Van Diemen’s Land, in the early 1800s, they often heard the Tasmanian devil long before they saw it. Devils are mostly active at night, and their high-pitched shrieks, coughs and rasping growls carry a long way through the dark forest.

To settlers who had never met a marsupial carnivore, the sounds were terrifying. Accounts from the period describe the animal with names such as “Beelzebub’s pup”, after a demon from the Bible, and early naturalists coined Latin labels like Sarcophilus satanicus (“satanic flesh-lover”) and Diabolus ursinus (“bear devil”). Over time, the simple name “devil” became standard, and “Tasmanian devil” separated it from animals elsewhere.

No record shows exactly who first used the name, so any claim that a particular explorer coined it should be treated with caution. What is clear is that the name reflects fear and misunderstanding rather than anything wicked about the animal.

What the scientific name means

The first scientific description of the devil was published in 1807 by George Harris, a surveyor in the colony. He thought it was a kind of opossum and called it Didelphis ursina, the “bear-like opossum”, because of its round ears and stocky body. That name had already been used for the common wombat, so it could not stand.

In 1841 the French naturalist Pierre Boitard placed the devil in its own genus, Sarcophilus, from Greek words meaning “flesh-lover”. The species name harrisii honors Harris. So the official name, Sarcophilus harrisii, means roughly “Harris’s flesh-lover”, a fair description of an animal that eats almost nothing but meat.

Tasmanian Aboriginal people had their own names long before Europeans arrived. Several were written down by colonists, and one, purinina, is used today in palawa kani, the revived Tasmanian Aboriginal language.

The screams, snarls and other sounds

Tasmanian devils are among the noisiest mammals in Australia. Researchers who studied devils feeding together at carcasses described about 11 distinct sounds, including:

• low growls and snarls when another devil comes close
• sharp sneezes and coughs used as warnings
• clicking sounds
• a loud, rising screech, the sound most people remember

Much of this noise happens at shared meals. Up to about a dozen devils can gather at a large carcass, and they settle who eats first mainly by sound and posture rather than by fighting. The louder the feast, the more devils are competing. On a still night the commotion can be heard from a long way off, which explains why settlers were so alarmed.

The gape, red ears and smell

Sound was not the only reason for the name. When a devil feels threatened, it opens its jaws extremely wide, showing a mouth full of large teeth. This gape, often called a yawn, looks like a challenge, but researchers who study devil behavior think it more often signals fear or uncertainty. It is a bluff that helps the devil avoid a real fight.

A stressed or excited devil also shows bright red ears, because the thin skin flushes with blood. Combined with jet-black fur and a habit of moving at night, the red ears gave the animal a sinister look by firelight.

Devils can also produce a strong, unpleasant smell from scent glands when frightened. Add the way they tear into carcasses, eating bones, fur and all, and it is easy to see how the animal earned a fearsome reputation. Its bite is genuinely powerful for its size; see what Tasmanian devils eat for how those jaws are used.

Are Tasmanian devils really devilish?

Despite the name, devils are not the vicious killers settlers imagined. They avoid people, and many devils simply freeze or tremble when cornered. There are no reliable records of devils attacking humans.

The bad reputation had real costs. Farmers blamed devils for killing sheep and poultry, and bounties were paid for dead devils from the 1830s. Later research showed that most livestock losses were caused by feral dogs and poor husbandry, and that devils mostly ate animals that were already dead. The devil was finally protected by law in 1941.

Today scientists see the devil as an important scavenger that cleans up carcasses and may help keep feral cats in check. Sadly, it now faces a far greater threat than its old reputation; read are Tasmanian devils endangered? to learn about the contagious facial tumor disease.

Taz: the cartoon devil versus the real one

Outside Australia, many people first meet the Tasmanian devil through Taz, the Looney Tunes character created by Warner Bros. in 1954. Taz spins like a tornado, grunts, and eats almost anything in sight.

The cartoon did bring worldwide attention to a little-known animal, and money from Taz merchandise has supported research on the devil’s disease. But the real animal is a shy, smelly, fascinating marsupial, not a cartoon monster.