DESCRIPTION

Male: Head and body length 380-759mm. Tail length 370-550mm. Weight up to 7kg. Rich rufous brown to dark brown above with prominant white spots of varying size over body and tail. Underside is pale yellow. Black eye. Small pink nose. Small ear.s

Female: Head and body length 350-450mm. Tail length 340-420mm. Weight up to 4kg. Appearance as per male.

The Spotted-Tailed Quoll has two subspecies - Dasyurus maculatus maculatus can be found in the south-east corner of Queensland, through the Great Dividing Range of NSW and in small isolated pockets in Victoria (although considered uncommon) and throughout Tasmania. Dasyurus maculatus gracilis can be found only in the north of Queensland. It is considered extinct in South Australia It is the largest of the Australian mainland carnivorous marsupials, with the Tasmanian Devil being larger in Tasmania. It is readily distinghuisable from other quolls by the spots on the tail. The Spotted-Tailed Quoll has been described as "savage" if handled, however its large gaping mouth and sharp teeth belie its true indifference to human prescence. The quoll is nocturnal although it does enjoy basking in the sun and does sometimes hunt in daylight hours. Being partly arboreal it has well developed foot pads with ridges and striations for easy gripping. To define territories and breeding status the quoll uses its faeces as signs to other quolls. The Spotted-Tailed Quoll is an efficient predator, seizing prey such as small wallabies to insects. Approximately two thirds of the quolls diet consists of small to medium sized mammals, bird and carrion are also important components of the diet. Both male and femla are sexually mature at around one years of age and mating takes place from April to July. During this time unmated females come on heat for approximately three days every three weeks. Copulation lasts up to eight hours, with the male grasping or licking the female's neck while the female remains crouched with head lowered and eyes half closed. Gestations is approxmately 21 days. The pouch, containing 6 teats, normally houses around five young which remain on the teat until around seven weeks old. Both sexes defend the nest although the male often hunts for food as the female stays with the young. Social play in the litter is developed at around 13 weeks of age and young are fully independent at 18 weeks. Maturity is at one year. The species is recorded in a wide range of habitats including rainforest, woodland, and heathland although loss of habitat due to land clearing for agriculture and forestry are resulting in its decline as are poisoning, trapping, foxes and feral cats. The Spotted-Tailed Quoll is now considered as sparse throughout most of its range, except in Tasmania where numbers seemed to have increased.