What is "tasmanian devil"

Tasmanian \Tas*ma"ni*an\ (t[a^]z*m[=a]"n[i^]*an), a. Of or pertaining to Tasmania, or Van Diemen's Land. -- n. A native or inhabitant of Tasmania; specifically (Ethnol.), in the plural, the race of men that formerly inhabited Tasmania, but is now extinct.

Tasmanian cider tree. (Bot.) See the Note under Eucalyptus.

Tasmanian devil. (Zo["o]l.) See under Devil.

Tasmanian wolf (Zo["o]l.), a savage carnivorous marsupial; -- called also zebra wolf. See Zebra wolf, under Wolf.

Devil \Dev"il\, n. [AS. de['o]fol, de['o]ful; akin to G. ?eufel, Goth. diaba['u]lus; all fr. L. diabolus the devil, Gr. ? the devil, the slanderer, fr. ? to slander, calumniate, orig., to throw across; ? across + ? to throw, let fall, fall; cf. Skr. gal to fall. Cf. Diabolic.]

1. The Evil One; Satan, represented as the tempter and spiritual of mankind.

   [Jesus] being forty days tempted of the devil.
   --Luke iv.

2. That old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world.
   --Rev. xii. 9.

   2. An evil spirit; a demon.

   A dumb man possessed with a devil.
   --Matt. ix. 32.

3. A very wicked person; hence, any great evil. ``That devil Glendower.'' ``The devil drunkenness.''
   --Shak.

   Have not I chosen you twelve, and one of you is a devil?
   --John vi. 70.

4. An expletive of surprise, vexation, or emphasis, or, ironically, of negation. [Low]

   The devil a puritan that he is, . . . but a timepleaser.
   --Shak.

   The things, we know, are neither rich nor rare, But wonder how the devil they got there.
   --Pope.

5. (Cookery) A dish, as a bone with the meat, broiled and excessively peppered; a grill with Cayenne pepper.

   Men and women busy in baking, broiling, roasting oysters, and preparing devils on the gridiron.
   --Sir W. Scott.

6. (Manuf.) A machine for tearing or cutting rags, cotton, etc. Blue devils. See under Blue. Cartesian devil. See under Cartesian. Devil bird (Zo["o]l.), one of two or more South African drongo shrikes ( Edolius retifer, and Edolius remifer), believed by the natives to be connected with sorcery. Devil may care, reckless, defiant of authority; -- used adjectively. --Longfellow. Devil's apron (Bot.), the large kelp ( Laminaria saccharina, and Laminaria longicruris) of the Atlantic ocean, having a blackish, leathery expansion, shaped somewhat like an apron. Devil's coachhorse. (Zo["o]l.)

   1. The black rove beetle ( Ocypus olens). [Eng.]

   2. A large, predacious, hemipterous insect ( Prionotus cristatus); the wheel bug. [U.S.]

      Devil's darning-needle. (Zo["o]l.) See under Darn, v. t.

      Devil's fingers, Devil's hand (Zo["o]l.), the common British starfish ( Asterias rubens); -- also applied to a sponge with stout branches. [Prov. Eng., Irish & Scot.]

      Devil's riding-horse (Zo["o]l.), the American mantis ( Mantis Carolina).

      The Devil's tattoo, a drumming with the fingers or feet. ``Jack played the Devil's tattoo on the door with his boot heels.''
      --F. Hardman (Blackw. Mag.).

      Devil worship, worship of the power of evil; -- still practiced by barbarians who believe that the good and evil forces of nature are of equal power.

      Printer's devil, the youngest apprentice in a printing office, who runs on errands, does dirty work (as washing the ink rollers and sweeping), etc. ``Without fearing the printer's devil or the sheriff's officer.''
      --Macaulay.

      Tasmanian devil (Zo["o]l.), a very savage carnivorous marsupial of Tasmania ( Dasyurus ursinus syn. Diabolus ursinus).

      To play devil with, to molest extremely; to ruin. [Low]

The Tasmanian Devil was the name of a drag racing car in the 1960s, named after the Tasmanian Devil cartoon character.

During the same time period that The Tasmanian Devil cartoon character was making a name for itself, a mechanical incarnate of this cartoon character was growing in popularity on the drag racing scene. Drag racing was in its early days and the cars and popular racing teams were always known by nicknames. Don Garlits had "The Swamp Rat" and Pacers Automotive had "The Tasmanian Devil". The Snizek & Dodge Racing Team at Pacers Auto created a powerful mean machine worthy of its nickname.

The Tasmanian Devil in racecar form was always loud, snarling all the way to the starting line and then unleashing a deafening roar as it raced down the track leaving behind a long hazy smoke trail. Crowds loved it as it devoured anything in its way - both race cars and speed records. Driver, George Snizek and his partner Charlie Dodge (1931-2002) were perennial finalists in NHRA sanctioned events and set numerous track, class, and NHRA speed records while becoming a true force in the 1960s drag racing scene. Aside from being the East Coast distributors of Nitromethane Racing Fuel, the team from Pacers were known as innovators in their field-being credited as the first to use silicone as an engine sealant and being the first car in its class to necessitate use of a parachute to stop "The Devil" in a class other than dragsters. Charlie Dodge & George Snizek joined forces with Murray Gellman of Sydmur Electronic Specialties to design and sell a competition-designed ignition system known as "The Thing".
Pacers Auto was one of the first racing teams to incorporate appearance and ability having color co-ordinated racecars and matching racing team uniforms. They were among one of the first raceteams to utilize a team-coordinated tow trailer as well. They were members of Hi-Performance "Cars Magazine" Racing Team and were featured in Walter Ungerer's 1965 film called "The Tasmanian Devil" which documented the AA/A roadster and the crew that built it to become the number one racecar in its class. It was filmed on location at Island Dragway, New Jersey one week after it set the NHRA AA/A Class Speed record in Atco Raceway in New Jersey. According to Martyn Schorr, the former editor of CARS Magazine, the Snizek & Dodge Racing Team amassed over 150 event wins together on the East Coast dragstips.
After a long absence, a resurrection of The Tasmanian Devil NHRA AA/A Roadster is being sponsored by AAA Firefighting Equipment's Jerry Joaquin, with guidance from original driver, George Snizek, to once again light up the tracks and race once again. Chassis, Body, Paintwork and final engine assembly are being handled by Southwest Custom Trucks in Apache Junction, Arizona, while the custom enginework is being performed by Greulich's Engine Machining in Phoenix, Arizona.

The Tasmanian devil (Sarcophilus harrisii) is a carnivorous marsupial of the family Dasyuridae, now found in the wild only on the Australian island state of Tasmania. The size of a small dog, it became the largest carnivorous marsupial in the world following the extinction of the thylacine in 1936. It is characterised by its stocky and muscular build, black fur, pungent odour, extremely loud and disturbing screech, keen sense of smell, and ferocity when feeding. The Tasmanian devil's large head and neck allow it to generate among the strongest bites per unit body mass of any extant mammal land predator, and it hunts prey and scavenges carrion as well as eating household products if humans are living nearby. Although it usually is solitary, it sometimes eats with other devils and defecates in a communal location. Unlike most other dasyurids, the devil thermoregulates effectively and is active during the middle of the day without overheating. Despite its rotund appearance, the devil is capable of surprising speed and endurance, and can climb trees and swim across rivers.

It is believed that ancient marsupials migrated from what is now South America to Australia tens of millions of years ago during the time of Gondwana, and that they evolved as Australia became more arid. Fossils of species similar to modern devils have been found, but it is not known whether they were ancestors of the contemporary species, or whether the current devils co-existed with these species. The date that the Tasmanian devil became locally extinct from the Australian mainland is unclear; most evidence suggests they had contracted to three relict populations around 3000 years ago. A tooth found in Augusta, Western Australia has been dated to 430 years ago, but archaeologist Oliver Brown disputes this and considers the devil's mainland extinction to have occurred around 3000 years ago. This disappearance is usually blamed on dingoes, which are absent from Tasmania. Because they were seen as a threat to livestock and animals that humans hunted for fur in Tasmania, devils were hunted and became endangered. In 1941, the devils, which were originally seen as implacably vicious, became officially protected. Since then, scientists have contended that earlier concerns that the devils were the most significant threat to livestock were overestimated and misplaced.

Devils are not monogamous, and their reproductive process is very robust and competitive. Males fight one another for the females, and then guard their partners to prevent female infidelity. Females can ovulate three times in as many weeks during the mating season, and 80% of two-year-old females are seen to be pregnant during the annual mating season. Females average four breeding seasons in their life and give birth to 20–30 live young after three weeks' gestation. The newborn are pink, lack fur, have indistinct facial features and weigh around at birth. As there are only four nipples in the pouch, competition is fierce and few newborns survive. The young grow rapidly and are ejected from the pouch after around 100 days, weighing roughly . The young become independent after around nine months, so the female spends most of her year in activities related to birth and rearing.

Since the late 1990s, devil facial tumour disease has drastically reduced the devil population and now threatens the survival of the species, which in 2008 was declared to be endangered. Programs are currently being undertaken by the Government of Tasmania to reduce the impact of the disease, including an initiative to build up a group of healthy devils in captivity, isolated from the disease. While the thylacine was extant it preyed on the devil, which targeted young and unattended thylacine cubs in their dens. Localised populations of devils have also been severely reduced by collisions with motor vehicles, particularly when they are eating roadkill.

The devil is an iconic symbol of Tasmania and many organisations, groups and products associated with the state use the animal in their logos. It is seen as an important attractor of tourists to Tasmania and has come to worldwide attention through the Looney Tunes character of the same name. Starting in 2013, Tasmanian devils are again being sent to zoos around the world as part of the Australian government's Save the Tasmanian Devil Program.

The Tasmanian Devil, commonly referred to as Taz, is an animated cartoon character featured in the Warner Bros. " Looney Tunes" and " Merrie Melodies" series of cartoons. Though the character appeared in only five shorts before Warner Bros. Cartoons closed down in 1964, marketing and television appearances later propelled the character to new popularity in the 1990s.

Tasmanian Devil is a fictional character, a superhero in the DC Comics universe. He is unrelated to the Looney Tunes character, although both characters are owned by Time Warner. He first appeared in Super Friends #7. His first canon appearance is Infinity, Inc. #32 (November 1986).

A Tasmanian devil is an Australian marsupial.

Tasmanian Devil may also refer to:

• Tasmanian Devil (Looney Tunes), a cartoon character
• Tasmanian Devil (comics), a DC Comics superhero
• Tasmanian Devils Football Club, an Australian rules football club
• Tasmanian Devil (NHRA dragracing), Pacers Automotive's NHRA record-setting AA/A roadster from the 1960s
• Tasmanian Devils (film), a 2013 Syfy television film