Description:
Verhaltensweisen im Zusammenhang mit dem Nahrungserwerb: Auffinden von toten Beutetieren mit Hilfe des Tast- und Geruchssinns, von bewegten Objekten auch mit Hilfe des geringer entwickelten Gesichtssinns; Töten von Beutetieren durch Bisse in Kopf und Körper, anschließend Beutelauf durch Gehege; Freßverhalten
The film shows an adult male Tasmanian Devil (Sarcophilus harrisi) in its outdoor enclosure and documents its food acquisiting behaviour. It locates animals of prey (grasshopper, fish, frogs, birds and smaller mammals) by means of its sense of smell and touch, whereas moving objects are located by its less developed sight. In the persuit of flying prey Sarcophilus reaches a speed of about 20 km/h. The prey is killed by several bites in head and body and afterwards carried in the Devil's mouth while it is running (gallopping) for ten to fifteen minutes with a medium speed of 7,8 km/h. When Sarcophilus fetches food from water, cleans its prey or when eating you can see the hand-like skillfulness of its anterior paws. With the exception of larger feathers greater prey is also eaten completely. Sarcophilus does not succeed in killing a living rabbit of about 6 kg body weight. Raw hen's eggs are opened carefully with its teeth assisted again by its anterior paws. The liquid content is licked up. Living prey and entire raw hen's eggy are offered to Sarcophilus for the first time in this film, thus it documents the behaviour of an unexperienced animal