Tiger Quoll

Tiger Quoll[1]
Conservation status

Near Threatened (IUCN 3.1)[2]
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Infraclass: Marsupialia
Order: Dasyuromorphia
Family: Dasyuridae
Genus: Dasyurus
Species: D. maculatus
Binomial name
Dasyurus maculatus
Kerr, 1792
Subspecies
Range of the Tiger Quoll:
D.m. gracilis and D.m. maculatus.

The tiger quoll (Dasyurus maculatus), also known as the spotted-tail quoll, the spotted quoll, the spotted-tailed dasyure or (erroneously) the tiger cat, is a carnivorous marsupial native to Australia. It is mainland Australia's largest, and the world's longest (the biggest is the Tasmanian Devil), carnivorous marsupial and it is considered an apex predator.

Contents

Taxonomy

The tiger quoll is a member of the family Dasyuridae, which includes most carnivorous marsupial mammals. This quoll was first described in 1792 by Robert Kerr, the Scottish writer and naturalist, who 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]

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: insects, birds and small animals such as rats and mice. 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 about three weeks. 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 reach an age of up to 4 or 5 years.

Range and habitat

Lighter color variant. Note tail spots that distinguish it from the otherwise similar Eastern Quoll

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 possible predation by the red fox and cats have led to the decline[4]. 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.

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.

References

  1. ↑ Groves, C. (2005). Wilson, D. E., & Reeder, D. M, eds. ed. Mammal Species of the World (3rd ed.). Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. pp. 25. ISBN 0-801-88221-4. OCLC 62265494. http://www.bucknell.edu/msw3. 
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Burnett, S. & Dickman, C. (2008). Dasyurus maculatus. In: IUCN 2008. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Downloaded on 28 December 2008. Database entry includes justification for why this species is listed as near threatened
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Edgar, R.; Belcher, C. (1995), "Spotted-tailed Quoll", in Strahan, Ronald, The Mammals of Australia, Reed Books, pp. 67–69 
  4. ↑ [http://www.environment.gov.au/biodiversity/threatened/publications/tiger-quoll.html#threats Australian Threatened Species: Tiger Quoll, Spotted-tailed Quoll or Spot-tailed Quoll Threatened Species Day Fact Sheet Department of the Environment and Heritage, 2004 ]

Further reading

External links