sign in sign up
<<
Home , Eastern quoll, Quoll, Western quoll

KIDS CORNER EASTERN

This presentation aims to teach you about the .

This presentation has the following structure:

Slide 1 - What is an Eastern Quoll? Slide 2 - Eastern Quoll Appearance Slide 3 - Eastern Quoll Behaviour Slide 4 - Threats to the Eastern Quoll Slide 5 - Eastern Quoll Conservation Slide 6 - Quoll Facts Slide 7 - Australian Curriculum Mapping

This booklet was created in conjunction with Edge Pledge. KIDS CORNER EASTERN QUOLL

What is an Eastern Quoll?

The eastern quoll (or, ‘native ’) is a -sized native to . This nocturnal may look cute. However, it is an opportunistic carnivore with razor-sharp teeth that often feeds on small such as , mice and rats, as well as birds, lizards, insects and snakes. It also scavenges food from larger prey and occasionally feeds on grass and fruits.

The eastern quoll is one of six species of quoll. The other five species are the bronze quoll, the , the New Guinean quoll, the (also known as the spotted-tail quoll), and the .

The Eastern Quoll was previously widespread in mainland south-eastern Australia including , Victoria and eastern . However, in the 1960’s, it became extinct in mainland Australia. The remaining population of eastern is in , where they live in open forest and scrubland and alpine areas, though they prefer dry grassland and forest mosaics. The International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species currently lists the eastern quoll as ‘Endangered’. KIDS CORNER EASTERN QUOLL

Eastern Quoll Appearance

Eastern quolls are similar in size to a domestic cat, with males measuring approximately 50 to 60cm (including the 20 to 28 cm tail), and having an average weight of 1.3 kg. Females are usually significantly smaller, measuring 48 to 58 cm, and weighing around 0.7 kg.

The eastern quoll boasts thick, soft fur that can be fawn, brown or black. Small white spots cover their bodies. They can be distinguished from all other species of quoll by the presence of only four toes, rather than five, on the hind feet. Both fawn and black individuals can be born in the same litter, although in surviving populations, fawn-coloured eastern quolls are more common.

Unlike the spotted-tail quoll, the eastern quoll does not have any spots on its tail and has a longer snout with a pointed muzzle. KIDS CORNER EASTERN QUOLL

Eastern Quoll Behaviour

The eastern quoll is a solitary predator, hunting at night for its prey. They have also been known to scavenge food from the much larger . The eastern quoll is nocturnal and spends its days resting in burrows, natural rock crevices, or hollowed-out tree trunks. Each eastern quoll will have up to five dens, which it alternates between depending on its mood.

The eastern quoll is mainly terrestrial (ground-dwelling), and breeds in the early winter, between May and August. The young are born after a gestation period of around 21 days. There may be up to 30 young in each litter, but the of the female eastern quoll usually contains six to eight teats. The only young to survive are those that can attach themselves to the teats to feed. After about ten weeks, the young eastern quolls leave the pouch, and the mother will leave them in a den while she hunts and forages. If the female needs to move to a different den site, she may carry the young on her back. Weaning occurs when the young eastern quolls are about five months old. The young become independent during November (approximately) - a time of year when food availability is high. The eastern quoll reaches sexual maturity within its first year and may live for around three to five years in the wild. KIDS CORNER EASTERN QUOLL

Threats to the Eastern Quoll

The last eastern quoll on mainland Australia is thought to have been killed around 1963, although there have been unconfirmed sightings since then.

While the factors that caused the eastern quoll to become extinct on the mainland are not well known, various theories exist. Some experts suggest that they may have competed with, and fallen prey to introduced carnivores, such as red foxes and feral . They may have encountered diseases transmitted by these non-native species. Also, they may have been persecuted by hunters if they posed a threat to farming livestock, such as domestic poultry.

Although considered to be widespread and relatively common in Tasmania, the eastern quoll is now believed to be undergoing a rapid decline. Threatened by non-native species, habitat clearance, poisoning by insecticides, illegal hunting, road traffic and competition with non-native species; the eastern quoll is certainly vulnerable to extinction.

To date, there is limited information available on the eastern quoll, particularly concerning its habitat range and requirements and diseases. KIDS CORNER EASTERN QUOLL

Eastern Quoll Conservation

More information on its range, behaviour, distribution and threats is required to conserve the eastern quoll. Additionally, increased habitat protection measures are critical, as well as measures to reduce road kills and manage non-native populations that threaten the eastern quoll.

Plans to reintroduce eastern quolls to mainland Australia are currently underway; a small population was reintroduced in a protected reserve in Canberra in 2016.

ReWilding Australia is also planning a breeding program of eastern quolls. Research has begun to identify islands within the former range of the eastern quoll with suitable habitat, low densities or an absence of feral predators and proper fire and invasive species management regimes that would allow an eastern quoll population to persist. From 2019, Rewilding Australia will focus on undertaking an eastern quoll reintroduction to suitable islands within the former range of the species.

The eastern quoll is fully protected by law and lists under a range of national and regional legislation. KIDS CORNER EASTERN QUOLL

Quoll Facts

• Quolls are carnivorous (meat eating) ;

• Quolls are endemic to Australia and (this means that they exist in these areas);

• There are six species of Quoll; 4 in Australia, two in New Guinea;

• The largest species of Quoll is the Spotted-Tail Quoll (also called the Tiger Quoll), the smallest is the Northern Quoll;

• Eastern quoll breeding is highly synchronised and occurs in May−June or May - August each year;

• Spotlight surveys across 147 sites in Tasmania revealed a 52% reduction in the number of eastern quoll sightings between 1999 and 2009;

• The last confirmed sighting of an eastern quoll on mainland Australia was discovered as in New South Wales in 1963. KIDS CORNER EASTERN QUOLL

Australian Curriculum Mapping

GRADE 5 SCIENCE (ACSHE083): Scientific knowledge is used to solve problems and inform personal and community decisions.

GRADE 5 HUMANITIES AND SOCIAL SCIENCES (ACHASSK113): The environmental and human influences on the location and characteristics of a place and the management of spaces within them.

GRADE 6 SCIENCE (ACSSU094): The growth and survival of living things are affected by the physical conditions of their environment.

YEAR 7 SCIENCE (ACSSU112): Interactions between organisms, including the effects of human activities can be represented by food chains and food webs.

YEAR 9 SCIENCE (ACSSU176): Ecosystems consist of communities of interdependent organisms and abiotic components of the environment; matter and energy flow through these systems.

SUSTAINABILITY (01.2): All life forms, including human life, are connected through ecosystems on which they depend for their well being and survival. KIDS CORNER EASTERN QUOLL

Image Credits:

By Ways - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0 https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=10073048

By Rexness from Melbourne, Australia - CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=40888217

By Ways - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0 https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=10073062

FOR MORE INFORMATION, please visit www.mygreenworld.org or email [email protected] to get in touch with us.

Download our mobile game app, World of the Wild, and see how you can participate in virtual wildlife conservation.

This booklet was created in conjunction with Edge Pledge.