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Beast of the Month
 The Tasmanian pademelon (Thylogale billardierii) is one of 45 species of "macropods" (big-footed creatures better known as kangaroos and wallabies) that live in Australia and are characterized by their huge hind feet, powerful hind legs, and long thick tails---not to mention pouches for raising their young. Following this basic body plan, Australia's macropods have evolved to live in highly varied habitats, including deserts, swamps, rain forests, and rocky terrain. Standing about two feet high (60 cm), the Tasmanian pademelon is adapted to forests---with shorter than average legs and tail to help it get through dense undergrowth. At night, this largely nocturnal creature emerges from its forest home to graze in Tasmania's grasslands. Until the early 1900s, Tasmanian pademelons also lived on the Australian mainland. But a combination of factors---clearing of forest habitat, persecution by settlers, and predation by foxes---led to their extirpation there. Now the island of Tasmania is their sole refuge. The pademelon pictured here is a young male being raised by human caretakers after its mother was killed by a car on a Tasmanian road.
Tasmanian devils (Sarcophilus harrisii) are scavengers of dead flesh. Their jaw strength, which rivals the biting power of African hyenas, enables them to eat an entire animal carcass, bones and all. While fighting over carrion, devils make bloodcurdling cries that sound like a cross between a rabid dog and the possessed Linda Blair in The Exorcist.  Since the mid-1990s, a cancerlike disease has been decimating wild devil populations. Tasmanian biologists are working to identify the disease's causes to help ensure the species survives.
The platypus (Ornithorhynchus anatinus) is the quintessential crossover beast. On first glance, it seems to be a combination of animals. Its beak looks like a duck's, while its furry body looks like a river otter's. But the oddities don't end there. Placed in the mammal camp by taxonomists, the platypus retains certain reptilian (or pre-mammal) characteristics: Most notably, the female lays eggs with leathery shells, while the male has venemous spurs on its hind legs (much like a pit viper's fangs). While the venom is not fatal to humans, it causes excruciating pain from which even morphine provides no relief.
 Platypuses live in lakes, streams, and rivers throughout Tasmania and along the east coast of the Australian mainland. They eat about 25 percent of their body weight per day and spend 12-13 hours per day foraging for small crayfish, worms, and insect larvae. To locate food, platypuses employ a sixth sense: Their "duck" beaks are actually sensitive divining rods, packed with electro-receptors that detect tiny electrical pulses emitted by their prey.
Although the platypus is not listed as an endangered species, it faces the dual threats of water pollution and habitat destruction. What's more, the introduction of a nonnative fungus into Tasmania has caused many platypus fatalities. To find out more, read an interview with platypus researchers from Australia's ABC radio.
 Ruby, a.k.a. Roo B. This young Bennett's wallaby (Macropus rufogriseus) hopped into our motel room in the Tasmanian town of Arthur River. Ruby's mother had been killed by a car---and the owners of the motel (the Sunset Holiday Villas) rescued young
Ruby from her mother's pouch. Ruby was hand-raised on special marsupial milk formula and lived in a woolen pouch for the first six months of her life.
The little blue penguin, a.k.a. the fairy penguin The smallest penguins in the world, these flightless, finned birds are the only penguin species that wears blue tuxedos.  Their scientific name, Eudyptula minor means good little diver, and they can plunge to depths of 150 feet (46 m). Nesting along the coast of Tasmania, the southern edge of the Australian mainland, and on islands in between, little blue penguins spend most of their time in the water, fishing for anchovies and small squid. Occasionally, these birds fall victim to oil spills. Penguin researchers have a cache of penguin-sized sweaters that are used in emergencies to keep oil-slicked birds warm and prevent them from preening and ingesting toxic oils.
Echidnas Relatives of the platypus, echidnas (Tachyglossus aculeatus) are among the most unusual creatures on the planet. Their long white spikes protect them from most predators (though Tasmanian tigers were known to eat them), and they use their long, sticky tongues to capture ants and termites.  Echidnas exhibit an elaborate courtship ritual in which a line of males will follow a single female for several weeks until she chooses one of them as a mate. The female echidna then lays a soft-shelled egg in a pouch on her belly. When the egg hatches, the baby echidna (which is called a "puggle" and at first is only the size of a jellybean) continues to live in the pouch until it develops its protective spikes.
 The Tasmanian Giant Freshwater Crayfish (a.k.a. the Lobster, Tayatea, the Freshwater Thylacine, and Astacopsis gouldi) This humongous crayfish---which grows to lengths of more than 3 feet (.91 meters)---is the largest freshwater invertebrate in the world. Endemic to the northern part of Tasmania, it can live for more than 40 years, lurking in cool tea-colored rivers shrouded by wet Tasmanian forests. Despite its fierce appearance (its claws can deliver a crushing pinch), the crayfish is a benign omnivore that dines primarily on decaying wood. Unfortunately, this amazing creature is no longer abundant, due to overfishing and clearcutting beside its riverine habitats. Fishing for the giant freshwater crayfish is now banned. However, deforestation continues to threaten its longterm survival.
 Eastern Quolls Tasmania is an island ark for many animal species, including Eastern quolls (Dasyurus viverrinus). These carnivorous marsupials are believed to be extinct on the mainland of Australia---killed off by introduced species like red foxes and feral cats, habitat destruction, and poisoning by farmers. The last-ever Eastern quoll documented on the Australian mainland was run over by a car in Sydney's Nielsen's Park in 1963. In Tasmania, Eastern quolls have fairly secure populations, particularly in and around farmland. They eat crop pests such as beetles and grubs, but are also capable nocturnal hunters, able to terminate mammals as big as rabbits. They're even known to snatch bits of carrion from much-larger Tasmanian devils. Pictured is a blind Eastern quoll being cared for at the Trowunna Wildlife Sanctuary.
 Tiger Snakes There are three snake species in Tasmania---the tiger snake, the copperhead, and the white-lipped whipsnake---and all are venomous. The tiger snake (Notechis scutatus), which is about four feet (1.3 meters) in length, is the most common. Its venom can cause grave damage to the central nervous system, as well as the muscles and major organs. And while attacks on people are relatively uncommon, there is fortunately an effective antivenin. (Tiger snakes are much more interested in envenomating and eating their natural prey, which includes frogs, lizards, skinks, birds, other snakes, rats, and mice.)
Not restricted to Tasmania, tiger snakes range throughout southeastern Australia and come in various colors and patterns: black, brown, tan, yellow, olive green, and striped like a tiger.
 The Giant Squid (Architeuthis) Eluding researchers for centuries, giant squids are among the most mysterious creatures on Earth. Growing to lengths of 55 feet (17 m), they inhabit pitch-black depths, where the only light comes from bioluminescent sea creatures. To cope, giant squids' eyes are as big as saucers, about 15 inches (38 cm) in diameter. Giant squids occasionally wash up on beaches or are picked up dead by fishing trawlers---and most of what's known about giant squids is gleaned from these dead bodies. (When a 550-pound (250-kg) giant squid washed up on a beach near Tasmania's capital in 2002, there was a near stampede when it was put on display at the local museum.) Until recently, giant squids were never observed alive in their undersea habitat. But in September 2005, researchers Tsunemi Kubodera and Kyoichi Mori announced they had photographed a giant squid nearly one kilometer down in the waters off Japan's Ogasawara Islands. To learn more and view photographs, click here.
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