fbpx
Wikipedia

Western quoll

February 15, 2024

The western quoll (Dasyurus geoffroii) is Western Australia's largest endemic mammalian carnivore.[4] One of the many marsupial mammals native to Australia, it is also known as the chuditch. The species is currently classed as near-threatened.

Western quoll[1]
A western quoll at Caversham Wildlife Park, Western Australia.
Scientific classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Infraclass: Marsupialia
Order: Dasyuromorphia
Family: Dasyuridae
Genus: Dasyurus
Species:
D. geoffroii
Binomial name
Dasyurus geoffroii
Gould, 1841
Western Quoll range

Taxonomy edit

The western quoll is a member of the family Dasyuridae and is most closely related to the bronze quoll (Dasyurus spartacus), a recently described species from New Guinea that was for some time believed to be an outlying population of the western quoll. Its species name, geoffroii, refers to the prominent French naturalist Étienne Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire, who named the genus Dasyurus in 1796. The species has occasionally been placed in the genus Dasyurinus.[5]

It is also known as the chuditch (/ˈtʃʊdɪtʃ/) in Western Australia (from Noongar djooditj);[6] chuditch serves as both the singular and plural form. Other common names include atyelpe or chilpa (from Arrernte),[7] kuninka (from Western Desert language);[8] idnya (Adnyamathanha people of the Flinders Ranges)[9] and the archaic western native cat.

Description edit

The western quoll is about the size of a domestic cat. It is coloured a rufous brown and has 40–70 white spots on its back with a creamy white underside. Its spots help diminish its outline under moonlight at night when hunting.[10] It has five toes on its hind feet and granular pads.[5] The head and body are about 36 cm to 46 cm in length, and the tail is around 22 cm to 30 cm.[11] With large eyes and pointed ears,[11] it is well adapted for nocturnal life. The black brush on its tail extends from halfway down to the tip. Males typically weigh around 1.3 kg, and females 0.9 kg. The longest they are likely to live is four years.[4]

Often confused with eastern quoll, it differs in possessing a first toe on the hind foot and a darker tail. It does share a white-spotted brown coat and a long tail with both the eastern quoll and northern quoll.

Habitat edit

Once found across 70% of the Australian continent, the western quoll is now confined to south-western corner of Western Australia. This perhaps was due to European settlement in the late 1780s as their range dramatically declined after this event.[4] It currently inhabits wet and dry sclerophyll forests, including contiguous Jarrah Forest and mallee.[12] These areas consist of open forest, low open forest, woodland, and open shrub.[11] On occasion they are recorded in the WA Wheatbelt and Goldfields regions, and by the 1930s disappeared completely from Swan Coastal Plain and surrounds.[4]

As a result of its carnivorous feeding habits, the western quoll has a large home range. These territories often share rock ledges and other open spaces. This serves to mark territory and for other social functions. Males spread out over about 15 square kilometres and typically overlap with several female ranges, about three to four square kilometres each. Although males share their large territories with smaller female territories, females do not cross theirs with other females. Most female home ranges contains around 70 hollow log dens and 110 burrows.[13]

Behaviour edit

A solitary, mostly terrestrial nocturnal predator, the western quoll is most active around dusk (crepuscular) when it hunts. It moves swiftly on the ground, climbs efficiently, and may dig or occupy existing burrows. During the day it seeks refuge in hollow logs or earth burrows as dens,[14] and saves energy by lowering its body temperature in its sleep.[15]

The western quoll is at the top of the food chain, and depends on resource abundance and a healthy ecosystem.[14] Being a carnivore, the western quoll feeds on large invertebrates and any small animal it can. This includes lizards, birds, frogs, spiders, insects, and small mammals; the largest it will eat is the size of a bandicoot or parrot.[citation needed]

Reintroduced populations in South Australia have been recorded preying on rabbits[16] and burrowing bettongs.[17]

They hunt mostly on the ground, but will climb a tree to grab a bird's egg. A bite to the back of the head kills their larger prey. It possesses an ability to obtain most of its water from its food, which is especially handy for survival during a drought.[14]

As seasonal breeders, western quolls mate between late April to July, and have a peak in June.[12] During this time, the western quoll tends to take up large areas of habitat, and females aggressively defend their territory of 55-120 ha.[15] Male and female quolls meet up only to mate. Although there are occasional cases when more young are produced than can be nursed, most litters range from two to six. There is a gestational period of 16 to 23 days which is followed by the young living in their mother's shallow pouch. After another seven to fifteen weeks, the young outgrow the pouch and are left in the den while the female forages for food. Weaned at 23 to 24 weeks, western quoll are independent at 18 weeks and are sexually mature at one year of age. The young disperse in November before taking up their own territories.[11]

Decline edit

The western quoll has declined due to several factors. Land clearing, inappropriate fire regimes, grazing by stock and feral herbivores, illegal shooting, accidental drowning in water tanks, being hit by motor vehicles, and poisoning are all responsible for their disappearances.[4] Foxes and cats have a massive impact; both predation and competition narrow room for the western quoll.[2] As more land became less suitable for living in, the western quoll is forced to move elsewhere.

AWC (Australia Wildlife Conservancy) protects this species at Paruna Sanctuary using a comprehensive feral predator control program, which sees feral cat and fox numbers controlled using trapping and baiting.[4]

Reintroductions edit

There have been ongoing attempts to re-establish the western quoll in parts of its former range.[18]

A five-year trial re-introduction of western quoll to the Flinders Ranges in South Australia began in April 2014.[9] Despite the loss of about a third of the first release population (mostly due to predation by feral cats), most of the surviving females bred and sixty joeys were born.[19] As of May 2016, a final release of 15 quolls from Western Australia was carried out in the Flinders Ranges, with a total population of 150. About half of this population was born locally. Monitoring of the population continued for an additional two years.[20] The success of the reintroduction led to relocation of animals from the initial site in the Ikara-Flinders Ranges National Park to the Vulkathunha-Gammon Ranges National Park in 2022 and 2023.[21][22]

The species has been returned to the South Australian arid zone, with a population established at the fenced Arid Recovery Reserve near Roxby Downs.[23] Animals were reintroduced to the semi-arid Mount Gibson Sanctuary in WA in April 2023, with the aid of feral predator control.[24]

Plans are in process to reintroduce the species to Dirk Hartog Island in Shark Bay,[25] Wardang Island[26] as part of the Marna Banggara[27] (formerly Great Southern Ark) project on the southern Yorke Peninsula[28] in South Australia, and large fenced reserves in the Pilliga Forest,[29] Mallee Cliffs National Park[30] and Sturt National Park,[31] all in NSW.

Captive breeding programs have contributed to reintroduction efforts, with Perth Zoo providing some animals for release.[11]

References edit

  1. ^ Groves, C. P. (2005). Wilson, D. E.; Reeder, D. M. (eds.). Mammal Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (3rd ed.). Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. p. 25. ISBN 0-801-88221-4. OCLC 62265494.
  2. ^ a b Woinarski, J.; Burbidge, A.A. (2019). "Dasyurus geoffroii". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2019: e.T6294A21947461. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2019-1.RLTS.T6294A21947461.en. Retrieved 11 November 2021.
  3. ^ "Dasyurus geoffroii — Chuditch, Western Quoll".
  4. ^ a b c d e f "Australian Wildlife Conservancy". www.australianwildlife.org. Retrieved 2016-02-22.
  5. ^ a b Serena, M.; Soderquist, T. (1995). "Western Quoll". In Strahan, Ronald (ed.). The Mammals of Australia. Reed Books. pp. 62–64.
  6. ^ Rooney, Bernard (2011). Nyoongar Dictionary. Batchelor Press. p. 20. ISBN 9781741312331.
  7. ^ Henderson, John; Henderson, Veronica (1994). Eastern and Central Arrernte to English Dictionary. IAD Press. p. 326. ISBN 0949659746.
  8. ^ Goddard, Cliff (1996). Pitjantjatjara/Yakunytjatjara to English Dictionary. IAD Press. p. 48. ISBN 0949659916.
  9. ^ a b Staight, Kerry (26 April 2014). "Helping Hand". Landline. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 28 December 2018.
  10. ^ "Chuditch". perthzoo.wa.gov.au. Retrieved 2016-02-22.
  11. ^ a b c d e "Dasyurus geoffroii (western quoll)". Animal Diversity Web. Retrieved 2016-02-22.
  12. ^ a b Menkhorst, Peter (2001). A Field Guide to the Mammals of Australia. Oxford University Press. p. 48.
  13. ^ . ARKive. Archived from the original on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2016-02-22.
  14. ^ a b c "Returning the Western Quoll to arid zone area benefits entire ecosystem | FAME". fame.org.au. Retrieved 2016-02-22.
  15. ^ a b "Western Quoll - Mammals - Nature Notes - Alice Springs Desert Park". www.alicespringsdesertpark.com.au. Retrieved 2016-02-22.
  16. ^ AWPC. "feral rabbits – Australian Wildlife Protection Council". Retrieved 2020-09-01.
  17. ^ West, R. S.; Tilley, L.; Moseby, K. E. (2019-10-16). "A trial reintroduction of the western quoll to a fenced conservation reserve: implications of returning native predators". Australian Mammalogy. 42 (3): 257. doi:10.1071/AM19041. ISSN 1836-7402.
  18. ^ "Western quolls – Reintroducing the species to the Flinders Ranges (SA)". Retrieved 2015-09-17.
  19. ^ Staight, Kerry (7 February 2015). "More rare western quolls to be released in SA after successful start to reintroduction project". ABC News online. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 8 February 2015.
  20. ^ Fedorowytsch, Tom (8 May 2016). "Final batch of western quolls released into Flinders Ranges as part of reintroduction project". ABC News. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 8 May 2016. They seem to be holding on to their territory, and we think things are looking good but we'll continue to monitor for the next two years.
  21. ^ "Reintroduced quolls thriving in South Australia's Gammon Ranges, early signs show". ABC News. 2022-04-27. Retrieved 2022-05-02.
  22. ^ "Threatened western quolls making a comeback in Flinders Ranges". ABC News. 2023-04-05. Retrieved 2023-05-07.
  23. ^ "Year of the Quoll". Arid Recovery. 2018-12-12. Retrieved 2020-09-01.
  24. ^ Tribune, The National (2023-05-03). "Western Quoll reintroduction to Mt Gibson Wildlife Sanctuary sets a new milestone in conservation". The National Tribune. Retrieved 2023-05-07.
  25. ^ "Chuditch (Western Quoll)". Shark Bay. Retrieved 2020-09-01.
  26. ^ "Rewilding Wardang Island". Greening Australia. Retrieved 2020-09-01.
  27. ^ "Marna Banggara: Creating a safe haven for native species". Landscape South Australia. Northern and Yorke. 24 December 2020. Retrieved 6 April 2021.
  28. ^ "Bilbies, numbats, quolls included in 'great southern ark' rewilding project". www.abc.net.au. 2019-01-31. Retrieved 2020-09-01.
  29. ^ "The Pilliga". AWC - Australian Wildlife Conservancy. Retrieved 2020-09-01.
  30. ^ "Mallee Cliffs National Park Review of Environmental Factors for the Reintroduction of Locally Extinct Mammals". NSW Environment, Energy and Science. Retrieved 2020-09-01.
  31. ^ "Sturt National Park Review of Environmental Factors for the reintroduction of locally extinct mammals". NSW Environment, Energy and Science. Retrieved 2020-09-04.

External links edit

  Media related to Dasyurus geoffroii at Wikimedia Commons

February 15, 2024
western, quoll, western, quoll, dasyurus, geoffroii, western, australia, largest, endemic, mammalian, carnivore, many, marsupial, mammals, native, australia, also, known, chuditch, species, currently, classed, near, threatened, western, quoll, caversham, wildl. The western quoll Dasyurus geoffroii is Western Australia s largest endemic mammalian carnivore 4 One of the many marsupial mammals native to Australia it is also known as the chuditch The species is currently classed as near threatened Western quoll 1 A western quoll at Caversham Wildlife Park Western Australia Conservation statusNear Threatened IUCN 3 1 2 Vulnerable EPBC Act 3 Scientific classificationDomain EukaryotaKingdom AnimaliaPhylum ChordataClass MammaliaInfraclass MarsupialiaOrder DasyuromorphiaFamily DasyuridaeGenus DasyurusSpecies D geoffroiiBinomial nameDasyurus geoffroiiGould 1841Western Quoll range Contents 1 Taxonomy 2 Description 3 Habitat 4 Behaviour 5 Decline 6 Reintroductions 7 References 8 External linksTaxonomy editThe western quoll is a member of the family Dasyuridae and is most closely related to the bronze quoll Dasyurus spartacus a recently described species from New Guinea that was for some time believed to be an outlying population of the western quoll Its species name geoffroii refers to the prominent French naturalist Etienne Geoffroy Saint Hilaire who named the genus Dasyurus in 1796 The species has occasionally been placed in the genus Dasyurinus 5 It is also known as the chuditch ˈ tʃ ʊ d ɪ tʃ in Western Australia from Noongar djooditj 6 chuditch serves as both the singular and plural form Other common names include atyelpe or chilpa from Arrernte 7 kuninka from Western Desert language 8 idnya Adnyamathanha people of the Flinders Ranges 9 and the archaic western native cat Description editThe western quoll is about the size of a domestic cat It is coloured a rufous brown and has 40 70 white spots on its back with a creamy white underside Its spots help diminish its outline under moonlight at night when hunting 10 It has five toes on its hind feet and granular pads 5 The head and body are about 36 cm to 46 cm in length and the tail is around 22 cm to 30 cm 11 With large eyes and pointed ears 11 it is well adapted for nocturnal life The black brush on its tail extends from halfway down to the tip Males typically weigh around 1 3 kg and females 0 9 kg The longest they are likely to live is four years 4 Often confused with eastern quoll it differs in possessing a first toe on the hind foot and a darker tail It does share a white spotted brown coat and a long tail with both the eastern quoll and northern quoll Habitat editOnce found across 70 of the Australian continent the western quoll is now confined to south western corner of Western Australia This perhaps was due to European settlement in the late 1780s as their range dramatically declined after this event 4 It currently inhabits wet and dry sclerophyll forests including contiguous Jarrah Forest and mallee 12 These areas consist of open forest low open forest woodland and open shrub 11 On occasion they are recorded in the WA Wheatbelt and Goldfields regions and by the 1930s disappeared completely from Swan Coastal Plain and surrounds 4 As a result of its carnivorous feeding habits the western quoll has a large home range These territories often share rock ledges and other open spaces This serves to mark territory and for other social functions Males spread out over about 15 square kilometres and typically overlap with several female ranges about three to four square kilometres each Although males share their large territories with smaller female territories females do not cross theirs with other females Most female home ranges contains around 70 hollow log dens and 110 burrows 13 Behaviour editA solitary mostly terrestrial nocturnal predator the western quoll is most active around dusk crepuscular when it hunts It moves swiftly on the ground climbs efficiently and may dig or occupy existing burrows During the day it seeks refuge in hollow logs or earth burrows as dens 14 and saves energy by lowering its body temperature in its sleep 15 The western quoll is at the top of the food chain and depends on resource abundance and a healthy ecosystem 14 Being a carnivore the western quoll feeds on large invertebrates and any small animal it can This includes lizards birds frogs spiders insects and small mammals the largest it will eat is the size of a bandicoot or parrot citation needed Reintroduced populations in South Australia have been recorded preying on rabbits 16 and burrowing bettongs 17 They hunt mostly on the ground but will climb a tree to grab a bird s egg A bite to the back of the head kills their larger prey It possesses an ability to obtain most of its water from its food which is especially handy for survival during a drought 14 As seasonal breeders western quolls mate between late April to July and have a peak in June 12 During this time the western quoll tends to take up large areas of habitat and females aggressively defend their territory of 55 120 ha 15 Male and female quolls meet up only to mate Although there are occasional cases when more young are produced than can be nursed most litters range from two to six There is a gestational period of 16 to 23 days which is followed by the young living in their mother s shallow pouch After another seven to fifteen weeks the young outgrow the pouch and are left in the den while the female forages for food Weaned at 23 to 24 weeks western quoll are independent at 18 weeks and are sexually mature at one year of age The young disperse in November before taking up their own territories 11 Decline editThe western quoll has declined due to several factors Land clearing inappropriate fire regimes grazing by stock and feral herbivores illegal shooting accidental drowning in water tanks being hit by motor vehicles and poisoning are all responsible for their disappearances 4 Foxes and cats have a massive impact both predation and competition narrow room for the western quoll 2 As more land became less suitable for living in the western quoll is forced to move elsewhere AWC Australia Wildlife Conservancy protects this species at Paruna Sanctuary using a comprehensive feral predator control program which sees feral cat and fox numbers controlled using trapping and baiting 4 Reintroductions editThere have been ongoing attempts to re establish the western quoll in parts of its former range 18 A five year trial re introduction of western quoll to the Flinders Ranges in South Australia began in April 2014 9 Despite the loss of about a third of the first release population mostly due to predation by feral cats most of the surviving females bred and sixty joeys were born 19 As of May 2016 update a final release of 15 quolls from Western Australia was carried out in the Flinders Ranges with a total population of 150 About half of this population was born locally Monitoring of the population continued for an additional two years 20 The success of the reintroduction led to relocation of animals from the initial site in the Ikara Flinders Ranges National Park to the Vulkathunha Gammon Ranges National Park in 2022 and 2023 21 22 The species has been returned to the South Australian arid zone with a population established at the fenced Arid Recovery Reserve near Roxby Downs 23 Animals were reintroduced to the semi arid Mount Gibson Sanctuary in WA in April 2023 with the aid of feral predator control 24 Plans are in process to reintroduce the species to Dirk Hartog Island in Shark Bay 25 Wardang Island 26 as part of the Marna Banggara 27 formerly Great Southern Ark project on the southern Yorke Peninsula 28 in South Australia and large fenced reserves in the Pilliga Forest 29 Mallee Cliffs National Park 30 and Sturt National Park 31 all in NSW Captive breeding programs have contributed to reintroduction efforts with Perth Zoo providing some animals for release 11 References edit Groves C P 2005 Wilson D E Reeder D M eds Mammal Species of the World A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference 3rd ed Baltimore Johns Hopkins University Press p 25 ISBN 0 801 88221 4 OCLC 62265494 a b Woinarski J Burbidge A A 2019 Dasyurus geoffroii IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2019 e T6294A21947461 doi 10 2305 IUCN UK 2019 1 RLTS T6294A21947461 en Retrieved 11 November 2021 Dasyurus geoffroii Chuditch Western Quoll a b c d e f Australian Wildlife Conservancy www australianwildlife org Retrieved 2016 02 22 a b Serena M Soderquist T 1995 Western Quoll In Strahan Ronald ed The Mammals of Australia Reed Books pp 62 64 Rooney Bernard 2011 Nyoongar Dictionary Batchelor Press p 20 ISBN 9781741312331 Henderson John Henderson Veronica 1994 Eastern and Central Arrernte to English Dictionary IAD Press p 326 ISBN 0949659746 Goddard Cliff 1996 Pitjantjatjara Yakunytjatjara to English Dictionary IAD Press p 48 ISBN 0949659916 a b Staight Kerry 26 April 2014 Helping Hand Landline Australian Broadcasting Corporation Retrieved 28 December 2018 Chuditch perthzoo wa gov au Retrieved 2016 02 22 a b c d e Dasyurus geoffroii western quoll Animal Diversity Web Retrieved 2016 02 22 a b Menkhorst Peter 2001 A Field Guide to the Mammals of Australia Oxford University Press p 48 Chuditch videos photos and facts Dasyurus geoffroii ARKive Archived from the original on 2016 03 04 Retrieved 2016 02 22 a b c Returning the Western Quoll to arid zone area benefits entire ecosystem FAME fame org au Retrieved 2016 02 22 a b Western Quoll Mammals Nature Notes Alice Springs Desert Park www alicespringsdesertpark com au Retrieved 2016 02 22 AWPC feral rabbits Australian Wildlife Protection Council Retrieved 2020 09 01 West R S Tilley L Moseby K E 2019 10 16 A trial reintroduction of the western quoll to a fenced conservation reserve implications of returning native predators Australian Mammalogy 42 3 257 doi 10 1071 AM19041 ISSN 1836 7402 Western quolls Reintroducing the species to the Flinders Ranges SA Retrieved 2015 09 17 Staight Kerry 7 February 2015 More rare western quolls to be released in SA after successful start to reintroduction project ABC News online Australian Broadcasting Corporation Retrieved 8 February 2015 Fedorowytsch Tom 8 May 2016 Final batch of western quolls released into Flinders Ranges as part of reintroduction project ABC News Australian Broadcasting Corporation Retrieved 8 May 2016 They seem to be holding on to their territory and we think things are looking good but we ll continue to monitor for the next two years Reintroduced quolls thriving in South Australia s Gammon Ranges early signs show ABC News 2022 04 27 Retrieved 2022 05 02 Threatened western quolls making a comeback in Flinders Ranges ABC News 2023 04 05 Retrieved 2023 05 07 Year of the Quoll Arid Recovery 2018 12 12 Retrieved 2020 09 01 Tribune The National 2023 05 03 Western Quoll reintroduction to Mt Gibson Wildlife Sanctuary sets a new milestone in conservation The National Tribune Retrieved 2023 05 07 Chuditch Western Quoll Shark Bay Retrieved 2020 09 01 Rewilding Wardang Island Greening Australia Retrieved 2020 09 01 Marna Banggara Creating a safe haven for native species Landscape South Australia Northern and Yorke 24 December 2020 Retrieved 6 April 2021 Bilbies numbats quolls included in great southern ark rewilding project www abc net au 2019 01 31 Retrieved 2020 09 01 The Pilliga AWC Australian Wildlife Conservancy Retrieved 2020 09 01 Mallee Cliffs National Park Review of Environmental Factors for the Reintroduction of Locally Extinct Mammals NSW Environment Energy and Science Retrieved 2020 09 01 Sturt National Park Review of Environmental Factors for the reintroduction of locally extinct mammals NSW Environment Energy and Science Retrieved 2020 09 04 External links edit nbsp Media related to Dasyurus geoffroii at Wikimedia Commons Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Western quoll amp oldid 1168373798, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

article

, read, download, free, free download, mp3, video, mp4, 3gp, jpg, jpeg, gif, png, picture, music, song, movie, book, game, games.