Michelle Chan, age 10, of Kanata, Ont., Can., for her question:

WHAT DOES THE TASMANIAN DEVIL EAT?

He looks like a small black bear, all set to play the villain in a scary story. Certainly the Tasmanian devil has no devilish horns and hoofs, and his tail is too stubby to lash like a whip. But the fierce snarl on his face is enough to alarm almost anybody. Surely, you would suppose, such a devilish snarl must belong to a devilish animal.

People who know the Tasmanian devil tell us that he does not deserve such a nasty name. True, he belongs to the lovely green island of Tasmania. True, he has a fierce devilish snarl, especially when cornered. But his snarl is said to be worse than his bite. He even lets strangers pick him up when he is in the middle of a meal—a time when most meat eating animals are likely to be fierce.

The furry fellow is about 2 feet long, plus a stubby  12 inch tail. He has strong claws and a huge pinkish mouth that opens wide to display his mighty chompers and long, stabbing teeth. His coat is black, accented with white patches on his shoulders, rump and throat, plus maybe a white tip on the tail. He has a rather pointed nose, long dark whiskers, small bright eyes and large round ears lined with pink. When he forgets to snarl, he is quite handsome.

With all those teeth, plus a bad reputation, you might guess that the Tasmanian devil is a meat eater. Correct. What’s more, the fierce little fellow usually is famished. His menu includes lizards, birds and kangaroo rats. Sometimes he attacks and devours a small wallaby or some other animal bigger than himself.

For between meal snacks he often goes to a stream where he catches a few frogs and crayfish. Though he is a good hunter, the food he catches may not be enough to satisfy his famished appetite. So he also eats the meat of any dead animal he happens to find. What’s more, Tasmanian farmers report that the hungry devil sometimes steals a lamb and raids their chicken coops.

You might suspect that the people of Tasmania have hunted this snarling thief almost to extinction. Not at all. He still thrives in the uncultivated woodlands. Besides, in Tasmania, one sixth of the land is set aside as sanctuaries to protect the native creatures.

In early June, the female gives birth to perhaps four very little devils. The blind, helpless babes are no longer than half an inch. They spend their first 15 weeks inside her fur lined pouch and feed on mother’s milk until they are 5 months old.