Tasmanian Devil Wipes out Penguin Population
It may seem like penguins have it easy. They always seem to be on island time. They have plenty of friends. There is plenty of fish to eat. Sure, they can’t fly, but who needs to fly when you can just scoot around everywhere on your belly?
Well, the penguins on Maria Island are definitely wishing they could fly away…or rather, they were wishing they could fly away. After researchers placed a small population of Tasmanian devils on Maria Island, the entire population of little penguins was decimated, according to BirdLife Tasmania. The Tasmanian devils were placed on the island as a sort of “insurance plan” or fail-safe, as a recently emerged face disease has been ravaging the dwindling Tasmanian devil population.
The good news is that the Tasmanian devil population on Maria Island is growing at a healthy rate. The bad news? Besides the viceration of the penguin population? Read the full article here to find out.
