Tasmanian devil bones reveal 47,000 years of scavenging near Indigenous camps
University of New South Wales researchers found Tasmanian devil bones at Juukan Gorge in Western Australia. The bones are from 42,500 years ago.
Scientists and Traditional Owners discovered devil jaw fragments at the sacred Juukan Gorge site in the Pilbara. The jaw fragments dated between 6900 and 7300 years ago.
They also found molar teeth from deposits about 42,500 to 47,100 years old. More than 8000 bones from the site were examined.
Many had tooth marks that matched devil bite patterns. These marks appear across deposits that span most of the gorge's 47,000-year history.
This suggests devils repeatedly scavenged around human camps. They did this even during the last Ice Age.
Palaeontologist Tim Churchill said the scale of evidence is striking. Devils were not afraid to come and scavenge human scraps for thousands of years.
Devils died out on mainland Australia around 3500 years ago. The arrival of dingoes and increased human activity may have cut them off from scavenging at human camps.
- More than 8000
- Bones examined from site
- 6900 to 7300 years ago
- Jaw fragment dated to
- 42,500 to 47,100 years old
- Molar teeth aged
- Around 3500 years ago
- Devils' mainland extinction
Why it mattersThe find changes how we understand Tasmanian devil behavior. It shows their link to Australia's earliest people across the continent.
AustraliaThe discovery deepens knowledge of Australia's prehistoric ecology and shows how Indigenous sites hold clues to ancient animal life before extinction.
✓ Claims checked against the source and corrected before publish. checked 1 d ago
