NUTRITION
Most dasyurids are generalist carnivores, primarily obtaining food through predation. Smaller dasyurids primarily consume insects and other invertebrates, but the larger dasyurids will consume vertebrate prey.
The Tasmanian devil also obtains food through scavenging of carcasses, which often brings animals into close proximity. Wild diets of some species may vary with local habitat, physiological status and season (Glen et al. 2010). The diet of carnivorous marsupials is broadly similar in water content, energy and nitrogen across a range of prey species and is easily digested. As a result, gut transit times are relatively rapid (from 1 to 2 hr in the Julia Creek dunnart [S. douglasi] to several hours in the eastern quoll [D. viverrinus]). Stannard and Old (2013) investigated digestibility of two food items in eastern quolls housed in managed care and provide a summary of published findings on digestibility in a range of dasyurid species. The authors suggest supplementing kangaroo mince with calcium and copper to prevent deficiencies when fed to eastern quolls (Stannard and Old 2013).As with many vertebrate species, basal metabolic rates (kJ/kg per d) are inversely proportional to body size. Maintenance metabolic requirement may vary with several factors, including thermoregulation, activity and reproduction. Some species utilise methods such as torpor and adjusting hunting strategies to conserve energy during challenging times (Pavey et al. 2016). Tasmanian devils show high levels of digestibility of food sources high in protein and lipid content (Stannard et al. 2017). Similar to other carnivorous mammals, lipid is likely to be a major energy source for dasyurids, though this may contribute to obesity in managed animals, which are likely to have a lower maintenance energy requirement than their free-ranging counterparts.
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