Scientists working to boost the population of Tasmanian devils have made a key discovery which could result in better survival rates for devils released into the wild.

The researchers found that the longer a Tasmanian devil had spent in captivity, the greater the chance of the animal being hit by a car after being released.

A Tasmanian devil being released into the wild in 2015. Credit:Save the Tasmanian Devil Program

Reviewing the survival rates of 50 devils released at two Tasmanian sites in 2015 and 2016, the researchers found 19 were killed by vehicles within six weeks of release.

The biggest killer of Tasmanian devils after the devil facial tumour disease is collisions with vehicles. With dozens of captive-bred animals being released each year, identifying and releasing "street-wise" animals will make a big difference to the endangered species' prospects.