Ancient Tasmanian devil bones reveal millennia of scavenging in Western Australia's Pilbara
Researchers uncovered Tasmanian devil remains at Juukan Gorge, showing the marsupial scavenged human camp leftovers for thousands of years.
Palaeontologists from the University of New South Wales reported the discovery of Tasmanian devil skeletal pieces at the sacred Juukan Gorge rock shelter in Western Australia's Pilbara. The jaw fragment dates between 6,900 and 7,300 years old, while a molar originates from deposits older than 42,500 years. Examination of more than 8,000 animal bones from the site showed characteristic devil bite marks on a variety of remains, including kangaroo and goanna bones brought by people.
These patterns demonstrate that devils regularly scavenged human camp leftovers across a span of tens of thousands of years, even during dry Ice Age periods. The study links the later mainland extinction of the species, around 3,500 years ago, to the introduction of dingoes and intensified human activity. The research was published in the journal Archaeology in Oceania, noting the added significance given the destruction of the Juukan Gorge shelters by Rio Tinto in 2020.
