What is a Spotted-tail Quoll?

A quoll is a large carnivorous marsupial, native to Australia and New Guinea, that looks a bit like a cross between a cat and a possum. It belongs to the family Dasyuridae (which literally means quoll family) which includes quolls, thylacines, Tasmanian devils and a number of smaller carnivores. There are four species of quoll in Australia (see our page on Other Quolls)

Spotted-tail or Tiger Quoll

• Dasyurus maculatus maculatus (Southern subspecies)
• Dasyurus maculatus gracilis (Northern subspecies)

Size: headbody: 350-750mm; tail: 350-550mm
Weight:  M: to 7kg aver: 3.5kg      F: to 4kg aver: 1.75kg

The Spotted-tail (or Tiger) Quoll is mainland Australia ’s largest carnivorous marsupial. The southern subspecies has large range extending from the Sunshine Coast Hinterland down the east coast of Australia and into Tasmania. Dasyurus maculatus is listed as threatened in all mainland states. Once very common, their numbers have been in steady decline since European settlement and they are now locally rare throughout SEQ with the exception of good populations at Lamington and Girraween National Parks. The SEQ population appears to have dramatically declined since early 1990’s. No major studies of tiger quoll populations has been undertaken since 1993.

Spotted-tail quolls favour rainforest, closed canopy sclerophyll (Eucalypt) and riparian (beside creeks or rivers) forests habitat but will venture out into adjoining woodlands and open pastureland in search of food.

The northern population around Cairns and Cooktown is a subspecies Dasyurus maculatus gracilis as it is slightly smaller than the southern subspecies Dasyurus maculatus maculatus. Genetic studies have also shown that despite being closely related they are in fact quite different populations.

Map modified from Menkhorst and Knight (2001) & Strahan (1998)
Distribution of the Spotted-tail quoll. Orange areas represent the original known distribution while red shows the current range	Photo courtesy of Brian O'Leary

Lifestyle

• Nest / den in hollowed logs, trees, caves and rock crevices (1 - 3 dens per individual;

• Home range of approximately 500ha which may overlap with others - one study suggests that that may even share den sites and therefore may not be solitary as commonly assumed;

• Mating between June and August, birth in August, young in pouch from September to October, young in nest from November to January, and weaning occurs from January;

• Average litter size - 5 with young fully independent at 18 weeks of age

Food

• Accomplished hunter - both on the ground and in the trees;

• Diet - small to medium mammals including possums, bandicoots, pademelons, rats and gliders, also reptiles, birds and insects; also opportunistic eater of carrion;