What is a quoll?

Answer 1

The quoll is a carnivorous marsupial mammal, of which there are six species, four of which are native to Australia, and the other two native to New Guinea.

The Australian species are:

Western Quoll or Chuditch (Dasyurus geoffroii) is now limited to south-western Western Australia. It is mostly nocturnal and terrestrial and lives in eucalypt forests, woodland and mallee shrubland. It's diet includes insects, reptiles, birds and small mammals. They breed from May to July and are mature at 1 year, with a lifespan of 3 years. It has brown fur with white spots above and creamy underneath. The female has the pouch and 6 teats. Males are up to 400 mm long and weigh up to 2.2 kg, females are up to 360 mm long and weigh up to 1.1 kg. They are considered to be endangered.

Northern Quoll (Dasyurus hallucatus) is the smallest and most aggressive of the quolls. It is limited to coastal regions of northern Australia. It is mostly nocturnal and arboreal and lives in rock outcrops in eucalypt forests, grassy woodland and human dwellings. It's diet includes invertebrates, reptiles, fruit and small mammals. They breed in late June and are mature at 1 year, with a lifespan of up to 3 years. It has grey-brown to brown fur with white spots above and creamy underneath. The female has the pouch and 6-8 teats. Males are up to 310 mm long and weigh up to 0.9 kg, females are up to 300 mm long and weigh up to 0.5 kg. They are considered to be endangered.

Spotted-tail Quoll or Tiger Quoll (Dasyurus maculatus) is the largest carnivorous marsupial on the mainland. It is limited to coastal regions of eastern Australia and Tasmania. It is mostly nocturnal and partly arboreal and lives in rainforest, eucalypt forests, woodland and coastal heath. It's diet includes insects, birds, medium mammals and carrion. They breed from April to July and are mature at 1 year, with a lifespan of up to 5 years. It has chocolate brown fur with white spots above and creamy to yellow underneath. The female has the pouch and 6 teats. Males are up to 750 mm long and weigh up to 7 kg, females are up to 450 mm long and weigh up to 4 kg. They are considered to be vulnerable in Tasmania and south eastern Australia and endangered in north Queensland.

Eastern Quoll (Dasyurus viverrinus) is now endangered on the mainland with no recorded sightings for years. It is still common in Tasmania. It is mostly nocturnal, solitary and terrestrial and lives in eucalypt forests, scrub, heath and farmland. It's diet includes insects, ground-nesting birds, small mammals, carrion, fruit and grass. They breed from may to early July and are mature at 11 months, with a lifespan of up to 5 years. It has thick soft black or fawn fur with white spots above and brown or white underneath. The female has the pouch and 6 teats and can have as many 30 babies. Males are up to 450 mm long and weigh up to 2 kg, females are up to 400 mm long and weigh up to 1.1 kg. They are considered to be secure in Tasmania and endangered on the mainland.

All Quoll species are threatened by loss of habitat, viruses, predation by dogs, cats and foxes, and competition from introduced species. The Spotted-tail and Northern Quolls are both being killed off as a result of eating the Cane Toad, which is poisonous.