June 19: Tasmanian devils

On this date in 1954, the Tasmanian Devil, Cartoon Character made his début in Devil May Hare by Warner Bros. Here are some things you might not know about the creatures he was based on.

1. Tasmanian devils are carnivorous marsupials which belong to the family Dasyuridae. They are about the size of a small Dog, weighing between 7-14 kg. Since the extinction of the thylacine in 1936, they are the largest carnivorous marsupials in the world.
2. They will eat virtually anything. They will hunt for fresh meat, and eat all their prey, bones and all. While fresh meat is a favourite food, they'll also scavenge and eat lizards, Frogs, insects, maggots and carrion (one reason they are endangered is because they get run over while eating roadkill). They'll also raid human waste when living near towns. However, contrary to popular myth, they won't attack and kill humans. If they come across a human corpse they might eat it, and if handled they may bite because they are frightened, but they won't attack a live human as prey.
3. The Tasmanian devil has the most powerful bite relative to body size of any living mammalian carnivore, because it has a large head and neck. Its jaw can open to 75–80 degrees, so it is well adapted to eat meat and bones, and could even bite through thick metal wire.
4. They store fat in their tails for times when food is scarce.
5. They can climb, especially when they are young, and can swim. They have been observed crossing rivers that are 50 metres (160 ft) in width, and seem to enjoy doing so, even when the water is icy cold.
6. Devils can give birth to as many as 20 or 40 young after a pregnancy lasting 21 days. The babies are about the size of a grain of rice. However, since there are only four teats in the mother's pouch, many of them won't survive.
7. Female devils with young change dens frequently. They particularly like squatting in dens formerly used by Wombats, because wombat dens are especially secure.
8. When they are distressed, a Tasmanian devil's almost hairless ears appear red as blood gets pumped through them.
9. They have 42 teeth, as dogs do. Their teeth grow continuously, but slowly, throughout their life.
10. The Tasmanian devil's genome was sequenced in 2010 by the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute. They have 14 chromosomes.

The Raiders Trilogy

Book One

Book Three

Book Two

   

Power Blaster is a superhero who lives in a dimension not unlike our own, in the mega-nation of Innovia. No-one knows who he is or where his powers come from. 
After saving the life of the President several times, Power Blaster learns that a test of a nuclear warhead to defend the planet against asteroid strikes will have devastating consequences for his world and sets out to prevent it.

Power Blaster's actions lead to an unexpected result - a wormhole opens between his dimension and our own. Anyone in the vicinity is pulled through. People from diverse backgrounds and cultures must co-operate to survive and learn to live with the powers travel through the wormhole has bestowed on some of them.

A stable wormhole is established between the two dimensions. Power Blaster is determined to bring Desi Troyes, the person responsible for the bomb, to justice. Help comes from some rather unexpected sources. Meanwhile, Shanna Douglas sets out on a mission of her own, to find out if there is a cure for the life altering condition the wormhole gave her friend, Benedict Cole. Little does she know that she will stumble upon the secret of Power Blaster's mysterious origins.