Tiger quolls, or spotted-tail quolls, are carnivorous marsupials and members of the Dasyurus genus of animals, and they are the only quolls to have spotted tails. Quolls (; genus Dasyurus) are carnivorous marsupials native to Australia and New Guinea. They have short, powerful legs. Its family, subfamily, and tribe were described in 1820 by Goldfuss and has replaced “native cat” in common use in recent years.
Physical Characteristics
Tiger quolls range in length from 1.5 kg up to 3.5 kg and a weight of 742 mm to 822 mm, the tiger quolls are the largest of the entire quoll species. Males are larger than the females are as adults. These animals have light brown coats with white spots, including their tails, and creamy white or grey undersides. Spotted-tail quolls are distinguished between the other quoll species by their spotted pattern, a red-brown body with bold white spots all over their body including their tail. Other quoll species range in color from light and dark brown to black.
Habitat and Distribution
Tiger quolls live in Eastern Australia throughout New South Wales, Victoria and Queensland along with Tasmania where there are rainforests and eculypt forests. They are found in Australia and Tasmania, from coast to the snowlines. Dasyurus maculatus, are most commonly reported in Tasmania, rainforests, woodlands, and open pastures, and bracken ferns, as well as having more availability to prey. They burrow into the ground to make their homes, or use hollow logs or trees, or crevices in rock formations for this same purpose.
Quolls are successful in a huge variety of habitats, savanna, and rocky areas. A terrestrial biome is intermediate between grassland and forest. A terrestrial biome found in temperate latitudes (>23.5° N or S latitude), on the amount of moisture available. Dry sclerophyll forest do not form a closed canopy. The canopy has little light reaching the ground and is abundant of ambient temperature.
Diet and Hunting Behavior
Spotted-tail quolls are meat specialists and primarily carnivorous predators. Tiger quolls or spotted-tail quolls are carnivorous marsupials and members of the Dasyurus genus of animals, and they are the only quolls to have spotted tails. Spotted-tail quolls are primarily night hunters. Spotted-tail quolls are nocturnal animals, which means they sleep during the day and hunt for food at night. They can move above the forest floor quite agilely from tree to tree. Smaller species may be more arboreal.
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Quolls are opportunistic and prey in their vicinity. Quolls are able to hide in smaller, narrow den sites or cavities from predators. Quolls are opportunistic and primarily carnivorous predators, mammals and carrion, in particular. Quolls are mostly carnivorous. The smaller quolls primarily eat insects, birds, frogs, lizards and fruit; the larger species eat birds, reptiles, and mammals, including echidnas and possums. The spotted-tailed quoll's diet is dominated by mammals such as brushtail possums, rabbits, hares and invertebrates. Eastern quolls hunt and scavenge, feeding largely on insects. Eastern quolls sometimes scavenge morsels of food from around feeding devils, cockchafer beetle and corbie grub. Carrion and some fruits are also eaten.
Quolls hunt by stalking. Quolls pin small prey down with their front paws while devouring it, and jump onto larger prey, sinking in their claws and closing their jaws around the neck.
Reproduction and Life Cycle
Tiger quolls mate once annually, typically around midwinter in Australia, which is June and July, but this can happen a bit earlier at times. When a male finds her, they will embark on a series of vocalizations, the male to sniff, be silent during those times, sides and palpitating her abdomen, the back of the females neck, back of her neck as well as a swollen neck. During copulation, the female will lower her head and halfway close her eyes. During copulation, the female spotted-tail quoll will vocalize frequently, cooing noise through the duration of copulation.
The gestation period for these quolls is 21 days and females may give birth to as many as five or six babies. size is 5 offspring, the female brings into the pouch. During winter months, offspring are under developed and will further develop in her pouch for 12 weeks.
Young tiger quolls suckle in the mother’s pouch for a couple of months until they immerge to learn about life, becoming independent and self-supporting. The female becomes responsible for all natal care until the offspring are independent, males perform no natal care.
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When a female brings young to move to a different den she carries the young along on her back. The female will elevate with their hind quarters elevated so the belly does not touch the ground. The female does this to avoid pressure on her offspring, to curl up to her warmth.
Since sexual maturity is reached by age one, females can produce a litter each year of their lives. Tiger quolls have a short lifespan of about three to five years in the wild, or 4 to 5 years in larger Quolls, shorter lives ranging 3 to 4 years on average.
Social Behavior and Territory
Spotted-tail quolls are solitary, and only intentionally come together for the mating season. Both sexes of all species are solitary in their ranges. Males tend to be slightly larger, weighing at most 1.5 times more than females.
Males live in their territories, and males territories will overlap with each other. Females live with other females in their territories excluding female offspring, between multiple females territories during breeding season. Home ranges of males varies from 1755.4 ha to 3761.7 ha, let males know that they are sexually mature.
Threats and Conservation Status
Since 1770, all Australian quoll species have declined due to habitat destruction through urbanisation and fragmentation, the similar habitats. Tiger quolls are able to hide in smaller, narrow den sites or cavities from predators. However, cats, spotted-tail quolls fall prey to these predators. Another threat is the 1080 poisoning for dingoes, with the poisoning.
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Quolls are small enough that they remain a target for predators, such as cats, spotted-tail quolls fall prey to these predators, and feral cats. Some snakes act as an infrequent predator.
The cane toad is a significant threat to the survival of quolls. Cane toads were introduced into Queensland in 1935; their numbers have since grown exponentially. These poisonous toads pose a significant threat to the northern quoll, which may die after consuming one. Invasive rabbit species using poison have also affected quolls.
Fox control programs have benefited the western quoll. In 2003, the eastern quoll was reintroduced to a 473 ha fox-proof fenced sanctuary at Mt Rothwell Biodiversity Interpretation Centre at Mount Rothwell in Victoria. In March 2018, twenty eastern quolls bred in a wildlife park in Tasmania were released into the Booderee National Park on the south coast of NSW. In 2008, the Northern Territory Wildlife Park in Australia recorded their first litter of northern quoll pups in the park.