Tasmanian devils breeding younger

11/17/2009

Tasmanian devils face a devastating contagious cancer that scientists fear may lead to their extinction in the wild/
Copyright (c) 2006 Wendee Holtcamp

Australia's Tasmanian devils, which live only on the island state of Tasmania, have been plagued by a devastating contagious cancer - known as Devil Facial Tumor Disease (DFTD) that had never before been seen before first documented in the late 1990s. Discovery News reports on a new study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) by Menna Jones of the University of Tasmania and colleagues. The study shows that the devils have started maturing and breeding at younger ages. Most animals in areas affected by the disease end up dying before the end of their first year of life, so precocious breeding is apparently an adaptation that has helped them prolong or put off their own demise. That's quite remarkable to watch a species adapt their life history right before our eyes, as a disease leads them to the brink of extinction. Scientists are working hard to create an "ark" of diversity for devils in case the species dies out in the wild.

I met with Jones in Tasmania in 2006 when their research program was still trying to confirm the disease's cause. They now know that the disease arose in a single animal and has since spread rapidly and virulently throughout much of Tasmania. It spreads when the animals bite one another during feeding or breeding. I'd brought my two kids to Australia to cover a few Aussie wildlife and travel stories, one of which was covering the Tasmanian devil disease. We had only arrived to Australia from the States a day before, had barely checked into the Hobart hotel, and met Jones at a gorgeous ritzy waterfront restaurant, and my son Sam fell asleep in his chair after ordering filet mignon (he didn't get to eat it because he was asleep before it arrived). What can I say, the menu options were limited. I'll never or the trip to Tasmania, and especially that night, and Jones' enthusiasm towards her research, even as my child snoozed on the chair. I wrote articles for National Wildlife and Scientific American on the 'lil devils. And of course I did a previous blog post when Australia offically dubbed the species endangered back in May.