Once
occurring across the Australian mainland, devils disappeared after the arrival
of the dingo. They are now restricted to Tasmania. Devils reach highest abundances
in the dry eucalypt forests and woodlands in northern Tasmania but are found all
over the island state. Although populations have fluctuated this century, their
status seems to be secure.
Densities of devils vary greatly in different parts of Tasmania. In the high
density areas, there seem to be about 20 devils living in about 10-20 square
km. Of course, this number goes up when young come out of dens but it goes gradually
down as young ones perhaps die or disperse. There are probably about 100-150
thousand devils in the wild.