This arboreal squirrel is exceedingly energetic, spending upwards of 75% to 96% of its time being active. Most of this time is devoted to foraging; for bark and buds in winter, flowers in spring, fruits, seeds, and insects in summer and autumn. Males will also fervently chase females as part of courtship.

The jaws of a Tasmanian devil can open to an 80-degree angle, able to deliver the strongest bite of any carnivorous mammal relative to body size. Nicknamed the "Australian hyena", the devil is a bone-crunching scavenger, gorging on dead bodies before they can fester and spread disease.