This is the first book published on the animal that has the distinction of being the world's largest marsupial carnivore, and it is packed with information that has never before been accessible to the general reader. The story of the Tasmanian devil is a remarkable one - surprising, controversial, funny, and tragic. Few mammals have been so negatively named, but this book aims to reveal the true nature of the Tasmanian devil. Far from being a scavenging, ferocious oddity, it is a treasured and valuable wildlife species, and one that faces the threat of extinction. It was in 1803 that a boatload of convicts, English officers and sailors gave the Tasmanian devil its name. Now, for the first time since Europeans first encountered this intriguing and misunderstood animal, the devil's story is being told.