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Tasmanian Devil? Hyena? or Quoll?
Now that movies and books have brought increasing popularity to the wolf totem, many of us find ourselves looking for something a bit more distinctive. In this highly competitive modern world, both the Tasmanian devil and the hyena have an unmistakable charm. Similar in many ways, each has its own distinctive characteristics. This importnat choice should not be left to whim. Here we present the information required for you to find the totem carnivore best suited to your unique personal style. And for those who want a totem which has not yet been the source of any metaphors, we offer the quoll.
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Tasmanian
Devils are surprisingly gentle
Family is very
important to the spotted hyena
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None of the quoll species has yet been the source of a metaphor.
| The Hyena and the Tasmanian
devil are environmentally friendly predators and scavengers who
waste nothing, using their extraordinarily powerful jaws to
devour their prey hide, hair, bones and all. (The Tasmanian
devil's jaws open to 120 degrees, farther than any other mammal,
and a pack of these beasts, finding a dead horse, leaves nothing
behind but the skull).
Both the Tasmanian devil and the hyena are known for their eerily spiritual howl: The Tasmanian devil (found only in Tasmania) and the several species of quoll (found also in Australia, New Guinea, and neighboring places) are the largest meat-eating marsupials, whereas the hyenas are placental carnivores whose four species are found only in Africa. The hyena is one of the only mammals whose high-testosterone females are dominant, and the females also have fake external genitalia resembling that of the male -- a fact which puzzled medieval scholastic theologians. (Perhaps for this reason, hyenas were unfairly portrayed in the film "The Lion King".) Both the quoll and the Tasmanian devil (like the American opossum, to which they are distantly related) are cleanly beasts and can be tamed. It is not known whether this is true of hyenas. Other Sources: 5 meg clip of Tasmanian devils feeding on carrion (which I have had a hard time getting to load.)
www.idiocentrism.com jjmrsnx
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