Native mammals like quolls cannot be kept as pets in NSW. Quolls are meat-eaters, preying on many species. The quoll evolved 15 to 5 million years ago. Native mammals have special needs. Quolls eat carrion and are seen around campsites and roadsides.
The spotted-tailed quoll is a vulnerable species in NSW. Its distribution and population have declined. In many cases, quolls live in isolated areas too small to support viable long-term populations. Spotted-tailed quolls forage over vegetation.
Quolls were once abundant in the bush. With all four species declining, some have suggested raising quolls as pets. This may reduce persecution. However, it may also separate wild and domestic quolls. We want quolls here, not just as pets.
Quolls could make great pets, as enjoyable as cats and dogs. Revenue from sales could help conserve endangered quolls. If caught from the wild, quolls can be fierce. Trapping quolls is illegal and dangerous. There have been reports of quolls killing chickens in town.
The Snowy River is a surviving stronghold of the tiger quoll. Quolls mainly eat insects, birds, frogs, lizards, snakes, small mammals and fruit. The largest eat mammals like possums. Quolls also eat carrion and will scavenge.
When did quolls go extinct?
The eastern quoll went extinct in mainland Australia in the 1960s. The spotted-tailed quoll is widely distributed across Tasmania. The eastern quoll survives in Tasmania. Researchers are trying to reintroduce the eastern quoll to parts of its former Australian range.
10 eastern quolls have been released into a NSW nature reserve. This gives the near-extinct species a second chance at survival. The Barrington population is the largest mainland population. It has been established through the Tasmanian Quoll Program. The program still has wild populations.
The sanctuary plans to breed 100 quolls per year. Within years, eastern quolls could be on Australia’s eastern seaboard again. Endangered carnivore specialists will monitor how well the quolls adapt. This includes monitoring preferred habitats, hunting, and breeding.
All quoll species have declined since European colonisation. Major threats are the cane toad, predators like feral cats and foxes, urban development, and poison baiting. Proposed actions emphasise protecting key populations from colonisation by cane toads and cats. This is done by quarantining offshore islands. Other actions foster recovery of collapsed populations after cane toad arrival.
Quolls reach maturity at one year old. They have a lifespan of 1-5 years, depending on species. Quolls hunt by stalking. They pin small prey with front paws while eating. They jump on larger prey, sinking in claws and biting the neck.
The spotted-tailed quoll is a capable hunter. Like the eastern quoll, it kills prey by biting the head. The spotted-tailed quoll is most common in cool temperate rainforests, wet sclerophyll forests and coastal scrubs.
During the day quolls sleep in hollowed-out logs or rocky dens. Though rarely seen, they can look for prey during the day.
Trapping quolls is illegal and dangerous for both animals and humans. Females can drop their young from pouches trying to escape traps.
Are quolls related to possums?
The spotted-tailed quoll is about the size of a domestic cat, but has shorter legs and a more pointed face than a cat. Quolls eat carrion and are sometimes seen scavenging around campsites, increasing their risk of being hit by cars. The Tiger Quoll has a large home range and can cover over 6km overnight. They are largely nocturnal and solitary. The first species described was originally named Didelphis maculata but this name is no longer valid. Genetic analysis indicates quolls evolved 15-5 million years ago. Quolls are closely related to the Tasmanian devil, dunnart, and other small marsupials. The genus Dasyurus includes six living quoll species – four in Australia/Tasmania and two in New Guinea. Although sometimes called native cats, quolls are marsupials, not true cats. They get their name from their cat-like appearance and hunting behaviour. The park has come a long way in recent years, degraded by unsustainable grazing. The Bounceback program began in the 90s to restore ecology, including quoll reintroductions. With COVID, monitoring helps provide a health-check of quolls and possums. Motion cameras show wider quoll areas. Possum and opossum correctly refer to the Virginia opossum; possum is more common.
Is a quoll a Tasmanian devil?
The quoll is closely related to the Tasmanian devil, the dunnart, and several other small marsupials. Four of these species reside in Australia or Tasmania: the eastern quoll, the northern quoll, the western quoll, and the tiger quoll.
Quolls were driven extinct in Australia by disease and predation by foxes and feral cats. Although primarily a carnivore, the quoll can also consume fruits and occasional vegetable matter. They spend most of their time foraging on the ground, but quolls can also be quite skilled at climbing.
Tasmania is home to two species of quoll – the eastern quoll and spotted-tailed quoll. The spotted-tailed quoll is the world’s second-largest carnivorous marsupial. Tasmanian devils and quolls are unique and spectacular animals making them a valuable tourism and biological asset.
The tiger quoll is the longest carnivorous marsupial in the world. Like Tasmanian devil, the tiger quoll is a scavenger that actively feeds on carrion.
Quolls are in the same family of carnivorous marsupials as the Tasmanian Devil. They are shy, nocturnal animals that have been identified as threatened species on mainland Australia. One of the most popular things to do in Tasmania is to see its wildlife like the quoll.