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Project Noah Nature School
Dasyurus maculatus
The Spotted-Tailed Quoll is the largest marsupial carnivore on mainland Australia. They are a ferocious, cat-like marsupial with a powerful body. The fur is a rich reddish-brown to olive-brown or chocolate fur, covered with cream spots, and a pale creamy underbelly. They are extremely good climbers, using their long tail for balance and their sharp curved claws, ridged pads on their feet, and opposable clawless thumb on the hind foot for gripping branches. The Spotted-Tailed Quoll is an endangered species, threatened by clearing of land, logging, poisoned baits, predation and competition from feral animals and poisoned by the introduced cane toads.
Densely vegetated areas in forests, rainforests, woodland and coastal heaths.
This Quoll was spotted at the Ipswich Nature Centre at Queens Park in Ipswich. Unfortunately they are very rare to find in the wild and zoos are the only place that many people will ever see these creatures. They look very cute and cuddly but can be quite aggressive.
Spotted on Jul 5, 2011
Submitted on Jul 5, 2011
3 Comments
I worked with koalas for 2 years at the Australian Wildlife Hospital and I'd have to disagree to some extent. I know they have somewhat of a reputation to be aggressive but in a different way to quolls. Koalas have the sweetest personalities and can be aggressive when threatened, but being herbivores they have no reason to attack. Quolls however are carnivores and attack their prey quite aggressively and are pests to farmers as they will hunt their stock. I have a real sweet spot for them, when you spend so much time with them it is impossible not to fall in love with them =)
In the cute but aggresive it reminds me of the koalas. they don´t have such a peaceful temper as many people think they do :-)
Very cute!