Spotted-tailed Quoll
Nature & People
Physical Description
The Spotted-tailed Quoll (Dasyurus maculatus) is about the size of a domestic Cat. It is a reddish to dark-brown carnivorous marsupial with a pointed face and prominent white spots on its body and tail, and is the largest marsupial carnivore on mainland Australia.
Where is it Found?
The Spotted-tailed Quoll is found on the east coast and in the Great Eastern Ranges, from Victoria to southern Queensland, in wet and dry forests. Its range has contracted considerably since non-Indigenous settlement.
Ecology
Spotted-tailed Quolls are mainly nocturnal. They live in dens in family groups, in hollow logs or trees, or in caves. Agile climbers, they hunt opportunistically for birds, Possums and smaller mammals, reptiles, or large Arthropods. They sometimes raid Chicken pens or scavenging on carcases.
Threats
The Spotted-tailed Quoll is listed as Vulnerable under the New South Wales Threatened Species Conservation Act 1995. Their principal threats are habitat degradation (particularly from logging) and competition from Cats and Foxes. Numbers are also affected by accidental or deliberate poisoning, shooting and trapping, and the ever-increasing threat of habitat loss.
Conservation Measures
Measures to help conserve the Spotted-tailed Quoll include the retention and protection of large forested areas containing hollow logs and rocky outcrops, particularly areas with thick understorey or dense vegetation along drainage lines. Landholders should consult with the NSW Department of Environment, Climate Change and Water before taking actions against Quolls if they are raiding poultry or in any other way making a nuisance of themselves.
Did You Know?
Spotted-tailed Quolls use 'latrine sites', often on flat rocks among boulder fields and rocky cliff-faces. These sites may be visited by a number of individuals. Latrine sites can be recognised by the accumulation of the sometimes characteristic 'twisty-shaped' faeces. Scat analysis is used to determine dietary behaviour.
