Devils might have a fearsome reputation, but they’re more vulnerable than they seem. These nocturnal marsupials use fierce snarls and high-pitched screams to establish dominance at feeding time. They use a threatening-looking yawn to communicate—mostly about fear or uncertainty—and a strong sneeze acts as a bluffing behavior before a fight.

Tasmanian devils are vital to their ecosystems. Known as the vacuum cleaners of the forest, these scavengers mostly eat animals that are already dead, which helps keep the habitat clean and disease at bay. But in addition to their uniquely terrible cancer, devils are threatened by human-wildlife conflict. Their forest habitats are being destroyed, they are viewed as pests and killed, and they are preyed upon by dogs and other introduced species.

San Diego Zoo Global is a proud partner of local conservation efforts in Tasmania, collaborating with zoos and research institutes to save these little devils. Your support to the San Diego Zoo Global Wildlife Conservancy helps to establish disease-free populations in the wild, and develop a vaccine to eradicate Devil Facial Tumor Disease once and for all.

While their cartoon counterparts will live on forever, Tasmanian devils need your help today in order to survive. You can help us bring them back from the brink of extinction—we can’t do it without you.