ZooDoo Wildlife Park Richmond, Tasmania,
Australia
www.zoodoo.com.au
The Tiger Quoll or Spotted Tailed Quoll
Size (Head & Body) 380-780mm Male 350-450mm Female. (Tail) 370-550 Male 340-420 Female. Weight 7 kg Male 4 kg Female. Status Common to sparse.
The Spotted-tailed Quoll is a ferocious powerful member of the
Australian 'bush'. With its strong canine teeth it is one of the largest of the
marsupial carnivores. It is a good climber but spends most of the time on the
forest floor, living in rainforest as well as dry sclerophyll forest. Although
nocturnal in habit, it will spend daylight hours basking in the sun. The tiger
quoll nests in rocky banks, hollow logs or small caves. It feeds on a large
range of prey including birds, rats, small marsupials and other marsupials as
well as reptiles and arthropods.
The spotted-tailed quoll becomes mature at one year of age, mating occurs
between April and July; the gestation period is 21 days and as the female has
six teats, she can have six young however, the normal litter is about 4-5. The
young become free of the teats at about 7 weeks and the juveniles are fully
dependent at around 18 weeks of age.
Since European settlement, land clearing, habitat destruction and the
introduction or the European fox, feral domestic cat introduced and exotic
disease has lead to the animals decline. If the destruction of habitat continues
due to logging and wood chipping the survival of this species in the long term
may not be possible.
(Ref. The Australian Museum Complete Book of Australian Mammals.)
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