DASYURE, a name for any member of the family Dasyu ridae (see MARSUPIALIA). The name is better restricted to ani mals of the typical genus Dasyurus. These are mostly inhabitants of the Australian continent and Tasmania. They hide themselves in the daytime in holes among rocks or in hollow trees, but prowl about at night in search of the small mammals and birds which constitute their prey. In arboreal species there are transversely striated pads on the feet; these are absent in terrestrial forms such as the common dasyure (D. viverrinus). The ursine dasyure (Sarcophilus ursinus), often called the "Tasmanian Devil," con stitutes a distinct genus. In size it may be compared to an English badger. The general colour of the fur is black tinged with brown, with white patches on the neck, shoulders, rump and chest. It is a burrowing animal, nocturnal and carnivorous, and commits great depredations on the sheepyards and poultry-lofts of the inhabitants.
see INTERNATIONAL DATE-LINE.