Myoictis

Myoictis wallacii

The strips Quoll ( Myoictis ) is a marsupial genus of the family of Dasyuridae ( Dasyuridae ). It owes its name to the similarities in physique with martens or mongoose, with whom she is not related. The genus includes, according to recent classifications of two types, Myoictis melas and Myoictis wallacii, in earlier work, only the former is described as a species.

Description

These animals are among the most colorful predatory marsupials. Her brown fur on the back has three black longitudinal stripes, the spaces can be colored yellow. The dark red head has a black nose stripe. The throat is bright red and the belly yellowish - gray. The long tail is covered with long reddish hair. The animals reach a body length 17-25 cm, a tail length of 15-23 centimeters and a weight of around 200 grams.

Way of life

Strip Quoll live exclusively in New Guinea and neighboring small islands, where M. walacii is known only from the Aru Islands. About their life is as good as nothing is known. Their habitat is primarily low-lying rainforests, they are likely to be like most Dasyuridae nocturnal. Their diet consists at least partly of small vertebrates such as mice and rats, for which she is popular with the local population.

About the level of danger there is little reliable information and the IUCN lists them at risk as low.