Spot-tailed Quoll

Scientific name
Dasyurus maculatus

At a Glance…..

Size: Males: 38-76cm in head and body length with additional 37-55cm in tail length. Weight of up to 7kg, average is 3kg. Females: 35-45cm in head and body length with additional 34-42cm in tail length. Weight of up to 4kg, average is 2kg.

What It Eats: Carnivorous: possums, rodents, rabbits, reptiles and invertebrates.

Gestation / Life Span: Gestation of 3 weeks. Life span of 5-6 yrs in captivity and 4-5 yrs in the wild.

Habitat: Diverse forest habitats including lowland, foothill and montane moist and dry forests and woodlands. Quolls favour areas with dense overstorey and understorey and with abundant rocks, hollow-bearing trees and fallen logs.

Common Predators: Whilst foxes and wild dogs may prey on young quolls, these are more competitors than predators as they hunt the same prey. Other threats include land clearing, scattered populations, baits used to control fox and wild dog numbers, and fire.

What Is a Spot-tailed Quoll?

Also known as Spotted-tailed Quoll or Tiger Quoll, the Spot-tailed Quoll is the largest marsupial carnivore on mainland Australia. They are generally solitary animals that occur at low densities as they occupy large home ranges, from 2000-4500ha for males and 600-1200ha for females. The home range of a male may cover the territories of several females.

The male of the species have a head and body length of 38-76 cm and a tail length of 37-55 cm. They weigh up to 7 kg, although the average is 3 kg. The female is smaller with a head and body length of 35-45 cm and a tail length of 34-42 cm. The female weighs up to 4 kg with the average being 2 kg.

Spot-tailed Quolls are recognised by conspicuous white spots over the body and tail. As their name denotes, no other quoll species in Australia have a spotted tail. Their fur colour ranges from light to very dark brown, and they can also be identified by their relatively large head with a wide jaw gape and long curved canine teeth.

In the breeding season, male Spot-tailed Quolls may emit a slow, deep growl and a loud, explosive spitting sound (like that of a cat, but enormously magnified). The female's call is not quite as loud. These calls may have given quolls their fearsome 'tiger' reputation.

Fascinating Facts

Captain Cook collected quolls along the east coast in 1770 and recorded ‘quoll' as an Aboringinal name for these animals.
Quolls share communal latrine (toilet) sites which are located in open spaces and may have up to 100 droppings piled up. The sites appear to be used for territory marking and may perform other social functions. .

Where Does a Spot-tailed Quoll Live?

The Spot-tailed Quoll occurs in eastern Australia including Tasmania. There are two sub-species; D. maculatus gracilis is confined to northern Queensland and D. maculatus maculatus is the one common to Victoria as well as south-eastern Queensland, New South Wales and Tasmania.

A forested habitat is the preferred home of the Spot-tailed Quoll. This can include lowland, foothill and montane moist and dry forests and woodlands. They seem to favour areas with a dense overstorey and understorey and with abundant rocks, large hollow-bearing trees, rocky escarpments and/or fallen logs for den sites. Prey densities and den site availability appear to be key features influencing habitat choice.

Den sites, where Spot-tailed Quolls shelter and rear their young, include caves, rock crevices, hollow logs, tree hollows, rabbit and small wombat burrows.

What Does a Spot-tailed Quoll Eat?

Spot-tailed Quolls are carnivorous and will prey upon a wide range of mammals (including possums, rodents and rabbits), birds (including domestic poultry), reptiles and invertebrates. They also scavenge the carcasses of larger animals such as wombats, wallabies and dogs. Being an adept climber, the Spot-tailed Quoll frequently hunts prey in tree hollows and in the canopy. Although generally nocturnal, they will hunt during the day.

A Spot-tailed Quoll's Family Life

When in captivity, female quolls breed at one year of age and most females breed every year. In the wild, female Spot-tailed Quolls generally do not breed until two years of age, and some females breed only every second year.

Mating occurs during winter. After a gestation period of about three weeks, an average of five young quolls are born. By 18 weeks the young quolls are independent and they mature by one year.

The Spot-tailed Quoll, whilst not having known predators (although foxes and wild dogs may prey on young quolls) face other threats including land clearing, scattered populations, baits used to control fox and wild dog numbers, and fire. The life-span of a Spot-tailed Quoll in captivity averages 5-6 years, whilst in the wild their life-span decreases to 4-5 years.

The Spot-tailed Quoll is considered Endangered in Victoria.

Parks Where Spot-tailed Quolls Can Be Found

Great Otways National Park
Wabba Wilderness Park in the foothills of the Great Dividing Range
Mount Eccles National Park

Want to Know More?

www.deh.gov.au/biodiversity/threatened/publications/tiger-quoll.html