How Dingoes Drove Tasmanian Devils Out of Northern Western Australia

Palaeontologist Tim Churchill of the University of New South Wales said that excavations at Juukan Gorge in the Pilbara have uncovered two clear Tasmanian devil specimens – a jaw fragment dated to about 7,000 years ago and a tooth fragment dated to roughly 43,000‑47,000 years ago.

The same bones show bite marks and chew marks that indicate the devils were feeding on animal remains left by people. Dr Churchill explained that the devils acted like a clean‑up crew, scavenging carrion and waste from ancient human camps.

Around 4,000 years ago, dingoes entered the Pilbara. Curtin University’s Bill Bateman described the dingo as Australia’s apex mammal predator, a skilled hunter and opportunist.

Researchers think the dingo’s arrival disrupted the devil‑human relationship, and devils vanished from the mainland about 800 years later.

Dr Churchill asked whether dingoes directly killed devils or simply competed for the same food sources. Bateman added that both species lived together for roughly a thousand years before the devils disappeared, and that increasing aridity may have compounded the pressure.

The Juukan Gorge finds are unique because they link animal remains with stone artefacts and human occupation, highlighting the long‑term ecological ties between people, devils and later dingoes.

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