Animal Corner

Discover the many amazing animals that live on our planet.

  • Home
  • A-Z Animals
  • Anatomy
  • Glossary
  • Animal Lists
    • Animal By Letter
    • Animals by Location
    • Mammals
    • Birds
    • Reptiles
    • Amphibians
  • Free Resources
    • Animal Coloring Pages
    • Animal Jokes
    • Animal Quizzes
  • Pets
    • Dog Breeds
    • Rabbit Breeds
    • Cat Breeds
    • Pet Rodents
    • Animal Care
  • Blog
You are here: Home / Animals / Quolls

Quolls

Quolls

Quolls or Native Cats (genus Dasyurus) are one of 4 species of marsupials all from the same Genus. Although they are sometimes referred to as Native Cats, they are not related to true cats. They get their name from their cat-like appearance and predatory behaviour.

Quolls can be found in the forests around Australia.

The 4 species are the Spotted Tailed Quoll found along the East Coast, the Western Quoll found in Southern Western Australia, the Eastern Quoll found only in Tasmania and the Northern Quoll found in tropical North Queensland.

The Quoll

Quolls Description

Quolls measure around 29 – 65 centimetres (11 – 26 inches) in length and weigh around 500 grams (1.1 pound). Female Quolls are slightly smaller than males. They have long, hairy tails that can measure 20 – 35 centimetres in length. The Spotted Tailed Quoll is the only species to have spots on its tail as well as its body. Although their tails are long, they are not prehensile. However, they do have ridges on the pads of their feet and their molars and canines are strongly developed.

All species of Quoll have grey to reddish/brown furry coats with white spots on. Female Quolls have 6 – 8 nipples and develop a pouch made by folds of skin on her stomach which opens towards the tail, only during the breeding season. Only the Spotted Tailed Quoll has a ‘true’ pouch. Quolls have small, bright eyes, a pointed snout with a moist, pink nose on the end of it.

Quoll Habitat

Quolls preferred habitats are isolated forests and open valleys where they construct either nests or dens.

Quoll Diet

Quolls are generally carnivores and feed up on plants, fruit, small reptiles, rabbits, mice, rats, birds, insects and carrion. Quolls will also scavenge from rubbish bins. Larger species, such as the Spotted Tailed Quoll will prey up on larger mammals such as Bandicoots and Possums.

Quoll Behaviour

Quolls are generally ground-dwelling creatures, however, they have developed secondary arboreal characteristics. They are usually seen scuttling along the ground, but they also climb trees. They mainly hunt for prey at night and sometimes in daylight as well.

A Quolls home range is large and can extend for several kilometres in each direction from a small core range. The range of a male Quoll often overlaps the home range of several females. An interesting feature of their behaviour is the use of shared toilet sites in open spaces such as rock ledges, for marking their territory and other social functions.

Quolls are very unpopular with farmers because they have a tendency to raid Chicken coops.

Some Quolls

Quoll Reproduction

The Quoll reaches sexual maturity at one year. During breeding season (winter) and after mating with a male, the females pouch will develop ready to host her young. All 4 species of Quoll have a gestation period of 21 days. Quolls give birth to up to 18 under-developed young, however, only a third of these will survive as there are only 6 teats for the fortunate young to attach to.

The newborn Quolls are only around the size of a grain of rice. The surviving young spend their time in their mothers pouch, suckling milk from her teats. They will remain there for around 8 weeks after which time they will be carried on their mothers back and fed in a nest or den for a further 6 weeks until they are fully developed.

Quolls have a naturally short life span. Smaller species live only for around 2 years and larger species, like the Spotted Tailed Quoll, 4 – 5 years.

Quoll Conservation Status

Quolls are classed as an ‘Endangered Species’. The Quoll population as been on the decline due to habitat loss and competition from Cats and Foxes.

 

More Fascinating Animals to Learn About

  • spotted beetle
    Spotted Beetle
  • Atlantic Spotted Dolphins
  • Pantropical Spotted Dolphins
  • Galapagos Swallow Tailed Gull
  • Vendace Fish
  • Crabs

About Joanne Spencer

I've always been passionate about animals which led me to a career in training and behaviour. As an animal professional I'm committed to improving relationships between people and animals to bring them more happiness.

Animal Classification

Kingdom:Animalia
Phylum:Chordata
Class:Mammalia
Infraclass:Marsupialia
Order:Dasyuromorphia
Family:Dasyuridae
Subfamily:Dasyurinae
Tribe:Dasyurini
Genus:Dasyurus
Type species:Didelphis maculata

Search

Most Popular Animals

  • Zebras
  • Aquatic Warbler
  • Atlantic Dolphins
  • Trapdoor Spider
  • Giraffe
  • Meerkats
  • Timber Wolf
  • Praying Mantis
  • Huntsman Spider
  • Vampire Bat

Galapagos Islands

galapagos-islands

Animal Names Glossary

Animal Names

British Wildlife

british-wildlife

Mammals

anatomy

Dog Breeds

dog breeds

Farm Animals

Farm Animals

Best of the Blog

  • 21 Amazing Animals that live in Lakes
  • What are the Fastest Animals in the World?
  • 31 Animals with Weird and Funny Sounding Names
  • Top 15 Deadliest Animals in the World
  • Ophiophagy – Examples of animals that eat snakes
  • List of Fascinating Solitary Animals

Copyright © 2005-2022 · Animal Corner · All Rights Reserved · Affiliate Disclaimer · Privacy Policy · Animals Sitemap . About Us

AnimalCorner.org is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. Amazon and the Amazon logo are trademarks of Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates.