What is the name of Australia’s largest carnivorous marsupial?

The Tasmanian devil is Australia’s largest carnivorous marsupial.

Tasmanian devils are stocky animals with black fur, white markings, and exceptionally strong jaws. Adults are generally about the size of a small dog, though males are heavier than females. They are powerful scavengers and predators that consume carrion, insects, and other animal foods.

The species once lived on mainland Australia, but it disappeared there thousands of years ago. It survives naturally in Tasmania. Since the 1990s, devil facial tumour disease has caused severe population declines. The contagious cancer spreads when devils bite one another, especially during social feeding and mating encounters.

Conservation programs use disease monitoring, captive breeding, and the establishment of insurance populations. Devils are nocturnal and often vocal, producing screams and other sounds that helped create their intimidating reputation. Despite that reputation, they are not related to the extinct thylacine, which was a separate marsupial predator.