Mainland Tasmanian Devils - pictures online

[Thylacoleo Gal]

Hi Questers - just the latest update!

We're _slowly_ making headway with the Mainland Tassie Devil project. Pics of some mainland Devil specimens at Museum Victoria are now online + a there's a bit more background about the project.

See -->

www.mainlanddevils.com/

Look for the 'Announcements' section: Searching for Tasmanian Devils - in Victoria

Or alternatively, follow the link 'The Mainland Tasmanian Devil' on Thylacoleo's front page: www.thylacoleo.com


Many thanks to Museum Victoria for their kind help with this : www.museum.vic.gov.au/

What do people reckon the odds might be? It's fascinating imho - how do explain actual, physical specimens?

best - Debbie

[cantona]

I couldn't seem to find the photos of the roadkilled devils, but the site is looking good, and the evidence dating back to the 1800's has me intrigued.
Like the Thylacine, i suspect the Devil has always been on Mainland Australia. If in mainstream thinking, the devils died out around 600 years ago, this is a relatively short period of time, and I believe it would be possible for a animal particularly one that perhaps was only suited to life in the south of the Island to survive, relatively unnoticed. The presence of larger predators may have meant that the devils on the mainland are less vocal than their Tasmanian relatives, and thus less obvious.

[molloch]

The museum pics can be found in the press release section from the link in the main page. (It took me a while too!

Any idea who did the DNA study? I can use some resources at Uni to try and track down a paper if there is one...

[Thylacoleo Gal]

hi Guys, sorry about that. We're still working on the layout! Long way 2 go.

Museum Victoria mainland Tassie Devils pics are here -->

www.mainlanddevils.com/index.php?module=wiki&page=MediaRelease20070802

I don't have a name re who did the DNA. I think it was done at LaTrobe Uni, tho, which would figure as they have a big marsupial genome project going out there. Maybe Prof. Westerman's lab might know something? We're (obviously!) still in the early stages of tracking down the history of this thing.

best - D.