Quoll

Four species

There are four Australian quoll species, differing in size and habitat:

• Tiger quoll (Dasyurus maculatus) — the largest; cat-sized; mainland forests and Tasmania; VU
• Eastern quoll (Dasyurus viverrinus) — extinct on mainland Australia since the 1960s; survives in Tasmania
• Western quoll (Dasyurus geoffroii) — once widespread; now restricted to southwestern Australia
• Northern quoll (Dasyurus hallucatus) — smallest and most seriously threatened; EN; devastated by cane toads

Cane toad catastrophe

The northern quoll has been particularly hard-hit by cane toads — the introduced South American toad that secretes a lethal toxin. Quolls instinctively attack toads and die within minutes of ingesting the toxin. Scientists have trained quolls to avoid cane toads using “toad aversion” programs (exposing quolls to nauseating but sublethal toad doses), with some conservation success.

Spotted for a reason

The white spots scattered across the quoll’s dark coat are not shared by any other Australian marsupial. Their function is debated — they may aid camouflage in dappled forest light or assist individual recognition.

Conservation status

All four species have declined severely since European settlement due to habitat loss, fox and cat predation, and (in the north) cane toads. Predator-free fenced sanctuaries — particularly on islands such as Boullanger Island (Western Australia) — are the primary conservation strategy.