Our mystery animal is the Tasmanian devil! The scientific name for the animal is 𝘚𝘢𝘳𝘤𝘰𝘱𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘶𝘴 𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘪𝘪..

The Tasmanian devil got its name from early European settlers, who heard mysterious growls, coughs and screams coming from dense bushland. Upon investigation they found a dog like animal with bright red ears, enormous teeth in a gaping jaw and saw a resemblance to the devil himself.

Devil fossils have been found widely across Australian and are thought to have become extinct on the mainland around 3,000 years ago due to the spread of the dingo. Now, due to a rare contagious cancer, the population has gone from around 120,000 to 20,000, and devils are are now classified as an endangered species.