Quoll

Giant Quoll ( Dasyurus maculatus )

The Quoll ( Dasyurus ) are a genus of the family of Dasyuridae with six species. With the placental martens they are not closely related. They are after the Tasmanian Devil, the tallest members of their family. Occasionally, the English name " Quoll " is used for the genus and its species.

Description

The coat is gray or brown, characteristic of all Quoll species, the white spots are on the body. The body length (not including tail) varies from 25 to 35 inches at the smaller species and up to 75 centimeters in the giant bag marten. This species can reach a weight of 2 to 3 kg.

Dissemination and lifestyle

Quoll can be found all over Australia distributed, also in New Guinea, Tasmania and other islands. Like almost all Dasyuridae are the Quoll nocturnal. During the day they hide in caves, burrows or hollow logs. Although they are primarily ground dwellers, they can climb well. Quoll inhabit different habitats, from the arid regions of Central Australia over rocky terrain to forests.

Nutrition

The Quoll are basically predators, but sometimes also feed on plant material (eg fruit). An animal prey on insects everything is about frogs, lizards to small mammals such as wallabies, rodents or rabbits on their menu. Sometimes they also destroy carrion.

Reproduction

Quoll have not fully developed pouch, often it is applied only during the gestation period. Mating occurs in the Australian winter between May and July instead. After a gestation period 16-25 days, the young are born. Often much more young are born then can actually survive. Two to six babies are 7 to 15 weeks in the mother's pouch, until such time as they have outgrown. With about six months to a year they are self-employed.

Threat

Their range has been in some severely limited by human settlement, hunting and competition by introduced predators. Four of the six species classified by the IUCN as endangered ( vulnerable ).

Species

• The dwarf Quoll ( Dasyurus hallucatus ) counts with 24 to 35 centimeters in body length to the smaller species. He lives in forests and mountainous regions in northern Australia ( from northern Western Australia to eastern Queensland). In some regions such as the Cape York Peninsula, he has become rare, overall he is listed as Near Threatened.

• The Tüpfelbeutelmarder ( Dasyurus viverrinus ) is a medium-sized species and differs from the other bag martens by the absence of the big toe. He lives only in Tasmania, on the Australian mainland, he has not been seen since 1966, is recognized as extinct.

• The Black-tailed Quoll ( Dasyurus geoffroii ) was formerly distributed over much of Australia, inhabited today but only small, fragmented areas, including in southwestern Australia. With 29-65 cm body length, it is one of the larger species. This species is listed by the IUCN as endangered.

• Dasyurus spartacus lives in a small savannah area in southwestern Papua New Guinea. The species is mainly characterized by their bronze -colored fur.

• The New Guinea Quoll ( Dasyurus albopunctatus ) is one of the smallest species with 24 to 35 centimeters in body length. It inhabits large parts of New Guinea, where it occurs in a number of habitats up to 3500 meters above sea level. The species is considered endangered.

• The giant or spot tail Quoll ( Dasyurus maculatus ) is 40 to 75 centimeters in body length and 2 to 3 kilograms, the largest Art is the only of its kind and the tail is dotted with him. The species lives in the eastern and south-eastern Australia and Tasmania. Because of their fragmented distribution area this species is considered endangered.