Researchers have mapped the timescale of the Tasmanian devils’ whiskers, showing that their whiskers can capture seasonal dietary changes over at least nine months and potentially up to a year.

The long, wiry whiskers on these stocky marsupials hold chemical imprints from food they’ve eaten in the past — records that can help tell broader stories about their foraging habits, habitat use and how they respond to environmental change.

Researchers have now mapped this timescale for the first time, showing that devils’ whiskers can capture seasonal dietary changes over at least nine months and potentially up to a year.

The findings, published this week in Ecosphere, offer a way to monitor the endangered native species with minimal disruptions to their habitats.

«We’re using the devils’ whiskers to trace back through time,» says Tracey Rogers, senior author of the study and professor at UNSW Science.

«Once dissected, the whiskers can act like the rings of a tree trunk, painting a picture of what the animals ate and how they lived up to a year ago.»

Up until now, tracing a devil’s culinary history with its whiskers has been a bit like using an out-of-order time machine: scientists could see the chemical records, but couldn’t confirm if they were from a week, month, or year ago.

Story Source:
Materials provided by University of New South Wales. Original written by Sherry Landow. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.