TABLE OF CONTENTS - National Zoo

TIGER QUOLL
(Dasyurus maculatus)
Carnivore
Description: The tiger quoll is a marsupial which is very similar to the North
American opossum. The upper parts are mostly grayish, or olive brown to dark rufous
brown. All individuals of the genus have prominent white spots or blotches on the
back and sides. The quoll can occasionally attain a weight of 6.8 kg (15 lbs), but
the females reach only 4 kg (9 lbs) at most. All species are terrestrial, but can climb
well. All are nocturnal, but some are occasionally seen by day. It may follow its prey
for over 4 km (2 1/2 miles) in one night. They occasionally raid poultry yards and
are, therefore, disliked by farmers, but they probably also benefit humans by
destroying many mice and insect pests.
Teeth: The quoll has four pairs of incisors in the upper jaw and three pairs in the
lower jaw. They have one pair of canines, 2-3 pairs of premolars, and four pairs of
molars in both jaws for a total of 42-46 teeth. The lower incisors are approximately
equal in size. Their canines are well developed and their molars have three cusps.
Diet: The tiger quoll is a carnivore, but also will eat vegetable matter when it is
desperate. They mostly eat small rodents and birds, and they can sometimes catch
animals as large as wallabies.
Range: Originally found in Eastern Australia and Tasmania.
Habitat: Habitats include dense, moist forest.
Social Organization: They are solitary, and males and females only come together
for a brief courting and mating period. Litter size is 4-6 young. The young are
weaned after 3 months and reach full maturity by 10-11 months.
Conservation Status: The species has been exterminated on mainland Australia; and
in Tasmania, the tiger quoll has become rare because of a disease which wiped out
whole populations at the beginning of the twentieth century. In Queensland, the
disappearance of the tiger quoll has been blamed on the toxic cane toad, which was
introduced from South America to control sugar cane beetles and is poisonous to
animals which try to eat it.
Source: Nowak, Ronald M. and John L. Paradiso. Walker’s Mammals of the World.
4th edition, Volume I. Baltimore, MD: The Johns Hopkins University Press, 1983.
Pages 36-38.
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