A meat-eating marsupial of Tasmania, with a stocky body, a broad head and mostly black fur.
The tail is short and thick, and many individuals have white chest or rump markings. Adult males are usually larger than adult females.
Devil Facial Tumour Disease can spread living cancer cells between devils through contact such as biting. Growing facial and oral tumours interfere with feeding, and the disease has caused major declines since its first record in 1996.
Field teams examine temporarily captured devils before release. In 2017, 33 genetically diverse insurance-population animals were released at Wukalina / Mount William in northeastern Tasmania.
A study summarised by the state government in 2025 found increased genetic diversity and reduced relatedness after the release. Annual monitoring also tracks density, breeding and disease.
An extinction-risk assessment has not been added yet.
Transmissible facial tumour disease is a major threat. Conservation combines wild monitoring with managed releases from an insurance population to support genetic diversity.