Tiger Quoll
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| Dasyurus maculatus Kerr, 1792 |
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 Range of the Tiger Quoll:
D.m. gracilis and D.m. maculatus. |
The Tiger Quoll (Dasyurus maculatus), also known as the Spotted-tail Quoll and the Spotted Quoll, is a carnivorous marsupial mammal, native to Australia. It is mainland Australia's largest carnivorous marsupial.
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[edit] Taxonomy
The Tiger Quoll is a member of the family Dasyuridae, which includes most carnivorous marsupial mammals. It was first described in 1792 by Robert Kerr, the Scottish writer and naturalist, who erroniously placed it in the genus Didelphis, which includes several species of American opossum. The species name, maculatus, indicates that this species is spotted.[3]
Two subspecies are recognised:[3]
- D. m. maculatus, found from southern Queensland south to Tasmania
- D. m. gracilis, found in an isolated population in northeastern Queensland, where it is classified as endangered by the Department of Environment and Heritage
[edit] Life history
The Tiger Quoll ranges from 35 to 75 cm in length and has a tail of about 34 to 50 cm. It is also 50% larger than other species of quolls. Females are smaller than the males: while females grow to four kilograms, males can reach up to 7 kg. Like other quolls, this species has thick, soft fawn, brown or black fur, with lighter fur on the underside. Small white spots cover the body including its bushy tail, which may also have a white tip. It has a pointed snout with a moist pink nose, bright eyes, and sharp teeth. Ridges on the pads of its feet allow them to climb trees.
This quoll feeds on a large range of prey including birds, rats, other marsupials, small reptiles and insects. It is a good climber but spends most of its time on the forest floor. Although nocturnal, it spends the daylight hours basking in the sun. It nests in rocky banks, hollow logs, or small caves.
It produces one litter a year with four to six young. The gestation period is 21 days. The female's pouch develops during breeding season, and is open towards the tail. The young remain in their mother's pouch for about seven weeks, and it takes some 18 weeks for them to become independent of the mother. Sexual maturity is reached after one year. The Tiger Quoll can get 4 to 5 years old.
[edit] Range and habitat
Before European settlement the southern subspecies had a range extending from southern Queensland through coastal New South Wales and Victoria to Tasmania. It is now confined to a few areas, mostly in national parks, and listed as threatened in all mainland states. Land clearing, habitat destruction, and predation by the Red Fox and cats have led to the decline. It has a large home range, and can cover over 6 km overnight.
The northern subspecies of the Tiger Quoll lives in restricted areas around Cairns and Cooktown in northern Queensland, and also in Papua New Guinea. It is slightly smaller than the southern subspecies. It is predicted that only 50% of quolls remain compared to last century.
[edit] Conservation status
The Tiger Quoll is listed by the IUCN on the Red List of Threatened Species with the status "vulnerable".[2] The Australian Department of the Environment and Heritage considers the northern subspecies D. m. gracilis as endangered.
[edit] References
- ^ Groves, Colin (16 November 2005). in Wilson, D. E., and Reeder, D. M. (eds): Mammal Species of the World, 3rd edition, Johns Hopkins University Press, 25. ISBN 0-801-88221-4.
- ^ a b Australasian Marsupial & Monotreme Specialist Group (1996). Dasyurus maculatus. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN 2006. Retrieved on 10 May 2006. Listed as Vulnerable (VU C1+2a v2.3)
- ^ a b Edgar, R. & C. Belcher (1995), "Spotted-tailed Quoll", in Strahan, Ronald, The Mammals of Australia, Reed Books, at 67-69
[edit] External links
- ARKive - images and movies of the spotted-tailed quoll (Dasyurus maculatus)
- Description from the University of Michigan
- Another description from Australia.
- Australian Web Site
- Australian Quoll Seekers
- Spotted Quoll entry in the IUCN Red List.
- Another photo of a Tiger Quoll
- Action Plan for Australian Marsupials and Monotremes.
