The Tasmanian devil, the real critter and not the cartoon character from the Looney Tunes universe, has been designated an endangered species by the Australian government. The demise of the devils is due (how’s that for alliteration) to a communicable form of cancer that leads to facial tumours that impair the animal’s ability to eat, thus causing starvation. Over 60% of the Tasmianian devil population has been wiped out.