New fossils show Tasmanian devils lived with people in outback Western Australia 45,000 years ago

Researchers have discovered the first definitive evidence of Tasmanian devils living alongside humans in Western Australia's Pilbara region around 45,000 years ago. The discovery was made at the Juukan 2 rockshelter, located on the Hamersley Plateau, which has provided an invaluable record of human and animal activity spanning nearly 47,000 years.

Two key fossils, a lower jaw fragment and a tooth, were found in deposits dated between 6,900 and 7,300 years old. The tooth was discovered in sediment dated between 42,500 and 47,100 years old. These findings were further supported by analyzing over 8,000 animal bones from the site, of which over 1,000 showed chewing or gnawing marks from various animals, including devils.

Dissection of 263 bone fragments revealed that the digestive process was likely carried out by a large bone-eating dasyurid, such as the Tasmanian devil. This evidence suggests that Tasmanian devils were a regular part of the scavenger community at Juukan for tens of thousands of years, persisting through significant environmental changes.

The discovery also indicates that humans and devils may have shared a mutually beneficial scavenging relationship, with human camps likely providing predictable food sources for the devils. The findings suggest that the arrival of dingoes, which were not native to the region, may have contributed to the eventual extinction of Tasmanian devils on the mainland around 3,200 years ago by competing for the same scavenging resources.