# Could a Tasmanian Devil kill a human adult? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [July 30, 2019, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-a-tasmanian-devil-kill-a-human-adult/837879 "2019-07-30T16:05:35Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![gytalf2000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ac91a4/32.png) [@gytalf2000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gytalf2000)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2019, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-a-tasmanian-devil-kill-a-human-adult/837879/1 "2019-07-30T16:05:35Z")
Is a Tasmanian Devil capable of killing an adult human? (Don’t need an answer fast.) ---
**Author:** ![HeyHomie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heyhomie/32/207_2.png) [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2019, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-a-tasmanian-devil-kill-a-human-adult/837879/2 "2019-07-30T16:16:28Z")
One? Probably not directly. I would say that the animal could either a) transmit some dread disease through its bite that could kill the person in due time; b) tear him up badly enough that he’d die of blood loss if he didn’t get medical help soon. A group of them? I’d say the person is toast. Whether or not TD’s attack in groups is not mine to say. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2019, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-a-tasmanian-devil-kill-a-human-adult/837879/3 "2019-07-30T16:26:52Z")
“could”? I’d say yes. Their bite is the among most powerful of any mammal on earth and they aren’t tiny, so I’d think they could definitely inflict a mortal wound or one that incapacitated enough that they could just go nuts on a defenseless opponent. They don’t really attack things tho, except for other devils; they are scavengers. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2019, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-a-tasmanian-devil-kill-a-human-adult/837879/4 "2019-07-30T16:44:47Z")
The answer is no, if you are talking about anything resembling normal circumstances. Although the Tasmanian Devil has an extraordinarily strong bite, males only weigh about 18 lb. A healthy adult human should be able to fend one off just by kicking it away. They aren’t particularly agile and adults don’t climb very well. The only way one could kill a human rapidly would be to clamp down on the neck, and a devil isn’t going to be able to do that if the human is able to fight back. Of course, a severe bite could cause enough blood loss or infection to eventually cause death, but you can say that about almost any mammal of an appropriate size. A monkey would be more of a threat because of its agility. Of course, if the human is sick, weak, or injured and unable to defend themselves all bets are off. > [@HeyHomie](#): > > A group of them? I’d say the person is toast. Whether or not TD’s attack in groups is not mine to say. Tasmanian Devils are solitary and don’t hunt in packs. ---
**Author:** ![lingyi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/d2c977/32.png) [@lingyi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lingyi)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2019, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-a-tasmanian-devil-kill-a-human-adult/837879/5 "2019-07-30T16:48:54Z")
A rabbit or a squirrel could kill a human if they hit a major artery or given enough time to gnaw away at the body, especially if you’re in the Canadian Yukon: [https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/2019/01/snowshoe-hares-carnivores-cannibals-photos-yukon/](https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/2019/01/snowshoe-hares-carnivores-cannibals-photos-yukon/) ---
**Author:** ![Lancia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lancia/32/17174_2.png) [@Lancia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lancia)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2019, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-a-tasmanian-devil-kill-a-human-adult/837879/6 "2019-07-30T17:04:19Z")
> [@Snowboarder\_Bo](#): > > “could”? I’d say yes. Their bite is the among most powerful of any mammal on earth and they aren’t tiny, so I’d think they could definitely inflict a mortal wound or one that incapacitated enough that they could just go nuts on a defenseless opponent. > > They don’t really attack things tho, except for other devils; they are scavengers. All of this. Devils are lumbering, slow, and rather lazy: while they’ll hunt small prey (snakes, rodents, and the like) they prefer their food already dead: they’re scavengers, and most of their diet is carrion. There is no way they would “hunt” a human; indeed they likely would not attack a grown human under any circumstances save self-defense. If they were particularly hungry, maybe an infant or toddler… maybe. Devils have a fierce reputation due to their rather haunting vocalizations, their propensity for fighting each other—which they do often and viciously—and frankly, the image of a Tasmanian Devil that has been presented by Warner Bros. However, the real animal is rather docile and not a particular threat to humans. Basically they sleep, eat dead things that are easy to find, and get in arguments with each other. Tasmanian Devils are the Homer Simpsons of the animal world. Dingoes are a bigger (but not particularly big; dingo attacks are rare) threat to humans, but they don’t live on Tasmania—only the mainland. ---
**Author:** ![GIGObuster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gigobuster/32/421_2.png) [@GIGObuster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GIGObuster)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2019, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-a-tasmanian-devil-kill-a-human-adult/837879/7 "2019-07-30T17:09:59Z")
First, the important issue: Yes, [Tasmanian devils can kill and eat ‘Wascally Wabbits’](https://www.alamy.com/stock-photo-tasmanian-devils-fight-over-a-rabbit-carcass-18212677.html). 🙂 (Warning, nature being violent) As for humans, lets check with the Tasmanian Parks and Wildlife Service: [https://www.parks.tas.gov.au/file.aspx?id=48221](https://www.parks.tas.gov.au/file.aspx?id=48221) > [@](#): > > **Are Tasmanian devils dangerous to people?** > > No, Tasmanian devils are not dangerous. They do not attack people, although they will defend themselves if attacked or trapped. For all their appearance they are very timid, quiet animals that would much rather run away than fight. However, devils are very powerful and any bite could cause serious injury. Tasmanian devils are wild animals and therefore should not be trusted with small children, just as you would not trust a large wombat or a large kangaroo with a small child. > > \*\* > Do they form packs?\*\* > > As far as we know Tasmanian devils do not form packs –a pack being an organised group of animals of the same species. Large numbers may hunt in the same area and may even hunt the same animal, but they do not seem to be organised. Even so, the confusion they cause may give them an advantage over the prey as they know where each other is from the sniffs and snort sounds and contact calls which allows them to move around the bush hunting as an “un co-ordinated” pack ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2019, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-a-tasmanian-devil-kill-a-human-adult/837879/8 "2019-07-30T18:13:11Z")
If you got into a fight with one, you could [catch face cancer](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Devil_facial_tumour_disease). OK, you’d have to be another Devil, but they do have the unusual situation where facial tumors can be transmitted from one Devil to another and this usually happens during fights. ---
**Author:** ![gkster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gkster/32/14107_2.png) [@gkster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gkster)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2019, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-a-tasmanian-devil-kill-a-human-adult/837879/9 "2019-07-30T18:14:00Z")
Devil Facial Tumor Disease, which has wiped out 80%+ of the devil population, looks like it doesn’t affect humans: The greatest current threat to numbers across Tasmania is Devil Facial Tumour Disease (DFTD). It is a fatal condition, restricted to Tasmania devils, that is characterised by cancers around the mouth and head. From GIGObuster’s link above ---
**Author:** ![gytalf2000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ac91a4/32.png) [@gytalf2000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gytalf2000)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2019, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-a-tasmanian-devil-kill-a-human-adult/837879/10 "2019-07-30T20:12:59Z")
Fascinating replies! Thanks. ---
**Author:** ![ThisSpaceForRent](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thisspaceforrent/32/345_2.png) [@ThisSpaceForRent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThisSpaceForRent)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2019, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-a-tasmanian-devil-kill-a-human-adult/837879/11 "2019-07-30T21:50:25Z")
I think Bugs Bunny and Warner brothers made the Taz to be much more ferocious than it is in real life. ---
**Author:** ![Backwater\_Under\_Duck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ba8739/32.png) [@Backwater\_Under\_Duck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Backwater_Under_Duck)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2019, 1:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-a-tasmanian-devil-kill-a-human-adult/837879/12 "2019-07-31T01:54:38Z")
Since the question has been answered, a story. I often hear this sound from a house across the street. It’s this gravelly _rrrroww rrroww uhh uhh_ thing that suggests a suction pump, but to me sounds exactly like the guy has the Tasmanian Devil, WB version, in a crate. ---
**Author:** ![Darryl\_Lict](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/7cd45c/32.png) [@Darryl\_Lict](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darryl_Lict)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2019, 2:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-a-tasmanian-devil-kill-a-human-adult/837879/13 "2019-07-31T02:55:27Z")
> [@Colibri](#): > > The answer is no, if you are talking about anything resembling normal circumstances. > Although the Tasmanian Devil has an extraordinarily strong bite, males only weigh about 18 lb. A healthy adult human should be able to fend one off just by kicking it away. They aren’t particularly agile and adults don’t climb very well. Yeah, I was lucky enough to see one in the wild in 2002, and a swift kick would’ve messed them up. The one I saw was the size of a small house cat. ---
**Author:** ![lingyi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/d2c977/32.png) [@lingyi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lingyi)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2019, 2:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-a-tasmanian-devil-kill-a-human-adult/837879/14 "2019-07-31T02:59:03Z")
> [@ThisSpaceForRent](#): > > I think Bugs Bunny and Warner brothers made the Taz to be much more ferocious than it is in real life. Not by whole lot: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQJmezk0D-Q](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQJmezk0D-Q) And this isn’t over food or fear! ---
**Author:** ![markn\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@markn\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/markn_1)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2019, 3:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-a-tasmanian-devil-kill-a-human-adult/837879/15 "2019-07-31T03:44:25Z")
I’m disappointed to discover that they don’t spin around like miniature tornadoes. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2019, 4:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-a-tasmanian-devil-kill-a-human-adult/837879/16 "2019-07-31T04:55:16Z")
It’s doubtful that even a thylacine , aka Tasmanian Tiger, would be much of a threat to a aware man. However, not much is known of them. They are considered extinct but a few possible sightings gives some hope.:dubious: Doubtful. ☹ The marsupial lion (_Thylacoleo carnifex_) (very extinct) would likely give you a nasty time, sure. Largest meat-eating mammal known to have ever existed in Australia, and one of the largest marsupial carnivores that ever existed anywhere. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2019, 5:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-a-tasmanian-devil-kill-a-human-adult/837879/17 "2019-07-31T05:03:24Z")
> [@ThisSpaceForRent](#): > > I think Bugs Bunny and Warner brothers made the Taz to be much more ferocious than it is in real life. Yeah, and Roadrunners don’t actually move so fast they blur and make the sound of a jet taking off when they accelerate.😃 ---
**Author:** ![lingyi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/d2c977/32.png) [@lingyi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lingyi)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2019, 5:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-a-tasmanian-devil-kill-a-human-adult/837879/18 "2019-07-31T05:15:49Z")
_Sniffle_ You’re ruining all my dreams! Next you’ll be telling me that Wile E. Coyote can’t float in thin air until he looks down? NOOOOOOOOOOO! ---
**Author:** ![Sangahyando](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f14d63/32.png) [@Sangahyando](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sangahyando)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2019, 8:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-a-tasmanian-devil-kill-a-human-adult/837879/19 "2019-07-31T08:00:28Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > It’s doubtful that even a thylacine , aka Tasmanian Tiger, would be much of a threat to a aware man. However, not much is known of them. They are considered extinct but a few possible sightings gives some hope.:dubious: Doubtful. ☹ I seem to remember reading that the thylacine / Tasmanian Tiger / Tasmanian Wolf, had little fear of humans, and was indeed quite human-friendly in its habits: would tag along after guys travelling through the bush, hang around their campsites hoping to (harmlessly) scavenge, etc. – the reverse of threatening. This kindly demeanour did the poor creature no good… > [@](#): > > The marsupial lion (_Thylacoleo carnifex_) (very extinct) would likely give you a nasty time, sure. Largest meat-eating mammal known to have ever existed in Australia, and one of the largest marsupial carnivores that ever existed anywhere. I recall with some affection, a poster some years ago on a cryptozoology-related site; who per his account, lived a back-to-nature life in the depths of the north Queensland rain forest. This guy was totally convinced that up there, the thylacine _and_ the thylacoleo were still alive and well in the wild, though he admitted that he had never himself seen a specimen of the latter. There was a fair amount of evidence to suggest that he was permanently off his head on assorted mind-altering substances. ---
**Author:** ![GreedySmurf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a698b9/32.png) [@GreedySmurf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreedySmurf)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2019, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-a-tasmanian-devil-kill-a-human-adult/837879/20 "2019-07-31T15:10:02Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > They are considered extinct but a few possible sightings gives some hope.:dubious: Doubtful. ☹ No hope! Good mate of mine has been involved in a group hunting for the Tasmanian Tiger, (even made a short ‘documentary’ series for Animal Planet) and all members of the team are 100% certain it’s extinct. :o [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-a-tasmanian-devil-kill-a-human-adult/837879.md?page=2)