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T U E S D A Y

Tasmania, that idyllic 67,000-square-kilometer island off the Australian coast, is home to a population of less than half a million. That, of course, isn’t counting the Tasmanian devils. The diminutive marsupials indigenous to the island are cute as the dickens: They also have jaws that can snap bone, are known for their screeching caterwaul, and feed on almost anything, including carrion. In short, their behavior suggests that the grunting, furry dervish depicted in Warner Bros. cartoons is more or less on the mark. Their antics are captured on film in Explorer Journal: Tasmanian Devils, which screens with another pouch picture, Valley of the Kangaroos, at noon at the National Geographic Society’s Grosvenor Auditorium, 1600 M St. NW. FREE. (202) 857-7133. (Nicole Arthur)