'Keeping Wildlife Wild'

Eastern Quoll

Dasyurus viverrinus

Eastern quolls are about the size of a small domestic cat averaging 60 cm in length. The males weigh approx.1.3 kg in weight with females being slightly smaller. They have coats of soft fur that is coloured fawn, brown or black. We have he lack variety at Something Wild. Small white spots cover the body except for the bushy tail which may have a white tip. Eastern quolls are more slightly built than the Spotted tail Quoll with a pointed muzzle.

Eastern quolls once occurred on mainland Australia, but are now extinct, with the last sighting in the Sydney suburb of Vaucluse in the early 1960s.
The species, fortunately, is widespread and locally common in Tasmania. It is found in a variety of habitats including rainforest, heath land, alpine areas and scrub. However, it seems to prefer dry grassland and forest mosaics which are bounded by agricultural land, particularly where pasture grubs are common.

The eastern quoll is largely a solitary animal. It feeding largely on insects but will hunt and scavenge also.
Eastern quolls are nocturnal animals foraging at night. Occasionally they will bask in the sun during daylight.

Normally, they sleep in nests during the day made under rocks in underground burrows or fallen logs.

The eastern quoll is an opportunistic carnivore that takes live prey and scavenges. The eastern quoll is an impressive hunter.

It will take small mammals such as rabbits, mice and rats without a moments thought.

Eastern quolls sometimes scavenge morsels of food from around feeding devils. However, the main component of its diet is invertebrates. They love agricultural pests such as the cockchafer beetle and corbie grub and some carrion and some fruits are also eaten.

Breeding occurs in early winter. After a gestation period of 21 days, females can have up to 6 young that develop in her pouch. After about 10 weeks the young are left in grass-lined dens located in burrows or hollow logs leaving the female free to hunt and forage.

Towards the end of November, when the young are 18 to 20 weeks old, the young are weaned . At this point they become gradually independent of the female. Within the first year they have reached sexual maturity in their own right and begin breeding another years offspring.

Feral cats are well suited to taking a quoll and also the prey that quolls eat. Predation and direct competition potentially force the eastern quoll from its natural habitat. The threat from foxes, dogs, road kills, landowners, and illegal poisoning or trapping are also causing declines. The species is wholly protected by law.