Tasmanian devils once scavenged with people in Western Australia
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Researchers in Western Australia discovered Tasmanian devil remains at Juukan Gorge, a site 1500 kilometers northwest of Perth, revealing the marsupial lived alongside humans for tens of thousands of years.
Palaeontologist Tim Churchill and his team from the University of New South Wales found devil bones dating back 7,000 and 43,000 to 47,000 years ago. These remains showed the devils consumed carrion and scraps left by people, suggesting they played a clean-up role in ancient human camps.
The study indicates Tasmanian devils were frequent visitors to the rock shelters at Juukan Gorge, accessing food accumulated by humans. Researchers believe this close relationship lasted until around 4,000 years ago, when dingoes arrived in the Pilbara region of Western Australia. They suggest dingoes either directly preyed on the devils or competed with them for food, ultimately leading to the devils’ extinction on the Australian mainland about 800 years later.
Curtin University’s Bill Bateman explained dingoes are apex predators and likely impacted Tasmanian devil populations, potentially alongside changing climate conditions that made the region more arid. The Puutu Kunti Kurrama and Pinikura (PKKP) Aboriginal Corporation, who are remediating the area after Rio Tinto damaged rock shelters in 2020, recognise the site’s cultural and scientific importance, noting the findings further connect their ancestors to the land.
