Fang-tastic recovery for Tasmanian devil after root canal
This little chomper may have a stronger bite than the African lion, but even his teeth need a little TLC from the dentist from time to time. Find out how he went from fractured to fang-tastic
READING LEVEL: GREEN
A bone-crunching carnivore* has proved that even those with the strongest bite need to see the dentist sometimes.
A Tasmanian devil has received specialist dental work at Healesville Sanctuary’s Australian Wildlife Health Centre.
During a routine health check, vets noticed Bonito the Tasmanian devil had a fractured tooth that needed attention, so they brought in dental specialist Dr David Clarke to help perform a root canal*.
Tasmanian devils have powerful jaws and sharp teeth designed for tearing and crunching, so any tooth trouble can quickly become a big deal.
Healesville Sanctuary Carnivores and Reptiles co-ordinator Grace Rouget said Tasmanian devils have incredible bite strength.
“Researchers have found devils have the jaw pressure of 1200 PSI, whereas lions only have a jaw pressure of 650 PSI,” Ms Rouget said. “Tasmanian devils are great scavengers. They are usually crunching through bones and eating whole carcasses*, so it is important that they have healthy teeth and a strong jaw.”
Following a successful root canal, Bonito has since been able to return to his devilish ways in his habitat* and was even able to eat straight after the procedure.
“None of us love going to the dentist, so I can sympathise with him,” Ms Rouget said. “Tasmanian devils must be under general anaesthetic* for this kind of procedure, so hopefully, he doesn’t remember any of it.”
Tasmanian devils are the world’s largest living carnivorous marsupial*. The unique creatures have been Classified as Endangered* with a decreasing population by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List*. The rapidly developing and fatal disease Devil Facial Tumour Disease* has proved a major threat to their survival.
Zoos Victoria is a partner of the Save the Tasmanian devil Program (STDP), with Healesville Sanctuary managing a breeding population of Tasmanian devils as part of a long-term insurance program to ensure fitness, health and genetic diversity* are maintained into the future.
POLL
GLOSSARY
- carnivore: an animal that eats the flesh of other animals
- root canal: a dental treatment that treats infection or decay in the soft tissue of a tooth, involving the removal of damaged nerve and pulp, cleaning and shaping the inner canals and sealing the tooth
- carcasses: bodies of dead animals
- habitat: the enclosure where the Tasmania devils are kept, which mimics their natural environment
- general anaesthetic: powerful drugs that put patients in a state of unconsciousness, where they can’t feel anything that is happening to them so they can be operated on without feeling pain or being aware of what is happening
- marsupial: a type of mammal that gives birth to undeveloped young that continue to develop inside their mother’s pouch, where they suckle from their mother’s teats
- Endangered: facing a very high risk of extinction
- Red List: a global list of the conservation status and extinction risk of different plant, animal and fungi species
- Devil Facial Tumour Disease: a deadly cancer that causes facial tumours in Tasmanian devils, often spread through biting
- genetic diversity: variety in the genetic characteristics of a species, which helps to strengthen survival from an evolutionary perspective
EXTRA READING
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Vaccine battle to save Aussie icon
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QUICK QUIZ
1. Why did Tasmanian devil Bonito need to see the dentist?
2. What procedure did he need to get done?
3. Why do Tasmanian devils have strong bites?
4. What is the jaw pressure of a Tasmanian devil?
5. What disease is threatening the survival of Tasmanian devils?
LISTEN TO THIS STORY
CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES
1. How to check a Tassie devil?
Bonito needed a general anaesthetic to have his tooth fixed. How do you think the vets were able to give him his routine health check safely – for both Bonito and the vet? Write a procedure that you think the vets should follow when giving Tasmanian devils their general health check up. There must be at least six steps in your procedure. For each step in your procedure, write sentences explaining why this step is important.
Time: Spend at least 20 minutes on this activity
Curriculum Links: English, Science
2. Extension
Think about ways that Bonito’s story might help younger kids who might be scared of going to the dentist. Create a storyboard for a short TV or online advertisement. The purpose of your ad is to help younger kids be inspired by Bonito and not be scared of the dentist anymore!
Time: Spend at least 30 minutes on this activity
Curriculum Links: English, Media Studies, Visual Communication Design
VCOP ACTIVITY
Read this!
A headline on an article – or a title on your text – should capture the attention of the audience, telling them to read this now. So choosing the perfect words for a headline or title is very important.
Create three new headlines for the events that took place in this article. Remember, what you write and how you write it will set the pace for the whole text, so make sure it matches.
Read out your headlines to a partner and discuss what the article will be about based on the headline you created. Discuss the tone and mood you set in just your few, short words. Does it do the article justice? Will it capture the audience’s attention the way you hoped? Would you want to read more?
Consider how a headline or title is similar to using short, sharp sentences throughout your text. They can be just as important as complex ones. Go through the last text you wrote and highlight any short, sharp sentences that capture the audience.