Sizes and Scales: The Northern Quoll is the smallest of the four Australian quoll species. Females are smaller than males with adult females weighing between 350-690g and adult males 540-1120g. Head and body length ranges from 270-370mm (adult males) to 249-310 (adult females). Tail length ranges between 202-345mm.
Single Mothers: A remarkable feature of this species is that the males show complete die-off after mating, leaving the females to raise the young alone.
What's For Dinner? Northern Quolls feed primarily on invertebrates, but also consume fleshy fruit, and a wide range of vertebrates including small mammals, birds, lizards, snakes and frogs. They also scavenge on road-kills, around campsites and in garbage tins.
Just the Facts: Females have six to eight nipples and develop a pouch—which opens towards the tail—only during the breeding season, when they are rearing young. Quolls live both in forests and in open valley land. Though primarily ground-dwelling, they have developed secondary arboreal characteristics. Their molars and canines are strongly developed.
The Tiger Quoll (Dasyurus maculatus), also known as the Spotted-tail Quoll and the Spotted Quoll, is a carnivorous marsupial mammal, native to Australia. It is mainland Australia's largest carnivorous marsupial.
Weight and Measures: The Tiger Quoll ranges from 35 to 75 cm in length and has a tail of about 34 to 50 cm.
Females are smaller than the males: while females grow to four kilograms, males can reach up to 7 kg. Quolls have thick, soft fawn, brown or black fur. Small white spots cover the body except for the bushy tail, which may have a white tip.
A Day in the Life: Quolls feed on a large range of prey including birds, rats and other marsupials, small reptiles and insects. They are good climbers but spend most of their time on the forest floor. Although nocturnal, they spend the daylight hours basking in the sun. They nest in rocky banks, hollow logs or small caves.
They produce one litter a year with four to six young. The gestation period is 21 days. The young remain in their mother's pouch for about seven weeks, and it takes some 18 weeks for them to become independent of the mother. Sexual maturity is reached after one year. Tiger Quolls can get 4 to 5 years old.
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