Northern quoll

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Northern quoll [1]
Dasyurus hallucatus -Queensland-8.jpg
In Queensland, Australia
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Infraclass: Marsupialia
Order: Dasyuromorphia
Family: Dasyuridae
Genus: Dasyurus
Species:
D. hallucatus
Binomial name
Dasyurus hallucatus
Gould, 1842
Northern Quoll.JPG
Northern quoll range

The northern quoll (Dasyurus hallucatus), also known as the northern native cat, the North Australian native cat or the satanellus is a carnivorous marsupial native to Australia.

Contents

Taxonomy

The northern quoll is a member of the family Dasyuridae, and is often stated to be the most distinctive Australian quoll. There are three other quoll species found in Australia, and another two species found on the island of New Guinea, all of which are currently placed in the genus Dasyurus . The northern quoll was first described in 1842 by naturalist and author John Gould, who gave it the specific epithet hallucatus, indicating that it has a notable first digit. This species has sometimes been placed in a separate genus, Satanellus.

Four distinct morphological forms of the northern quoll were recognised in the 1920s, [4] however more recent population genomic analysis has shown that these forms do not conform to the underlying genetic differentiation shown across the species distribution [5] .Three broad population genomic clusters are present in the species, which broadly correspond to populations in the regions of Queensland, Northern Territory and Western Australia. [5] This population genomic structure conforms to known biogeographic barriers across northern Australia, including the Carpentarian Gap and Ord Arid Region. Finer scale population structure shows differentiation of the Groote Eylandt and Pilbara populations of quolls. [5]

Life history

The northern quoll is the smallest of the four Australian quoll species. [6] Females are smaller than males, with adult females weighing between 350 and 690 g (12 and 24 oz) and adult males 540 and 1,120 g (19 and 40 oz). Head and body length ranges from 27–37 cm (11–15 in) for adult males and 25–31 cm (9.8–12.2 in) for adult females. The tail length ranges between 20 and 35 cm (7.9 and 13.8 in).

Northern quolls feed primarily on invertebrates, but also consume fleshy fruit (particularly figs), and a wide range of vertebrates, including small mammals, birds, lizards, snakes, and frogs. They also scavenge on roadkills, around campsites, and in garbage tins.

A remarkable feature of this species is that the males show complete die-off after mating, leaving the females to raise the young alone. Females have eight teats in a pouch, but apparently give birth to more than eight young which must wriggle their way to the pouch and compete for a teat to survive. [7] In a study in Western Australia's Kimberley region, the testosterone levels of males peaked in July, and females gave birth in July or August. [8]

In the wild, males live for about one year, while the maximum recorded for a wild female was about three years of age. [6] In rocky habitats, the lifespan of both sexes appears to be increased to two or three years, and individuals are larger than those living in savanna habitats, possibly due to better habitat and reduced predation. [6]

A February 2023 study published in Royal Society Open Science found that "reduced resting behaviour among males could explain the post-breeding death as the deterioration in appearance reflects that reported for sleep-deprived rodents." [9]

Range and habitat

The northern quoll occurs from the Pilbara region of Western Australia across the Northern Territory to south east Queensland. Their historical range extended uninterrupted from S.E Queensland to the Kimberley in Western Australia. [10] There are several disjunct populations. This quoll species is most abundant in rocky ranges and open eucalypt forest. Analysis of occurrence records for the species shows that rocky areas are important for the species. [11] [12]

Northern quolls have declined substantially since European colonisation of Australia, with one study in the Northern Territory finding a roughly 60% contraction in their extent of occurrence. [12] Of the nine species analysed, this decline was only exceeded by that of the brush-tailed rabbit-rat, the sole remaining species in the genus Conilurus. In the Northern Territory, northern quolls appear to be declining towards geographic areas of higher vegetation complexity, lower elevation, and milder temperatures, [12] suggesting that, in these areas, threats may be mediated or better tolerated.

More geographically isolated populations, such as those on islands, have very small contributions to overall genetic diversity within the species, and also show relatively high levels of inbreeding compared to mainland populations. [13]

Conservation status

1863 illustration by Elizabeth Gould (illustrator) Dasyurus hallucatus - Gould.jpg
1863 illustration by Elizabeth Gould (illustrator)

The northern quoll is currently classified as Endangered by the IUCN. [2]

The species is now absent from many parts of its former range, particularly the savanna country. In 2005 it was listed as Endangered under Australian Commonwealth legislation (EPBC Act). Threats are predation by feral cats, dingoes and red foxes, particularly after fire or grazing has removed protective ground cover. Destruction, degradation, and fragmentation of the quoll's habitat due to land clearing, grazing, pasture improvement, and mining are also significant. [6] Quolls are also susceptible to being run over on roads. [6]

The current major threat to the northern quoll in the northern and western portion of its range is the spread of cane toads. Like many other native Australian species, northern quolls are poisoned after eating or mouthing cane toads. [14] Cane toads were originally introduced in Queensland, but have now occupied the Top End of the Northern Territory, including Kakadu National Park and the Darwin area, and entered the Kimberley region of Western Australia, where they are established around Kununurra and Lake Argyle.

Immediately after cane toad invasion of Kakadu, quolls became extinct at one study site and declined from 45 individuals to five at another site. The northern quoll may cease to exist in most areas in the Top End once the cane toad population completely overlaps the northern quoll's range. However, remnant populations of northern quolls still persist in Queensland where cane toads have been present for decades. These persisting Queensland quoll populations are naturally toad averse (as observed on remote cameras). One of the northern quoll populations studied in Kakadu during the recent cane toad invasion, had a few individuals survive the invasion. These individuals were, likely similar to the Queensland quolls, genetically averse to the toads. [15] In 2003, to help protect northern quolls, numerous quolls were transferred to the toad-free English Company Islands (Astell and Pobassoo Islands), off the coast of Arnhem Land. Quolls thrived on these islands, with an estimated population of 2193 female northern quolls on Astell Island by 2014. [16] In 2017, quolls from Astell Island were collected, trained via conditioned taste aversion to avoid attacking cane toads and reintroduced to Kakadu National Park. This reintroduction attempt saw the release both toad-trained (22) and toad-naive (9) northern quolls to an area of Kakadu that previous had quolls but where they had recently gone locally extinct due to the invasion of cane toads. Although the toad-trained quolls survived longer than those that received no toad training, ultimately this reintroduction population rapidly went extinct because of dingo predation. [17] Subsequently, research comparing antipredator behaviours of quolls from Astell Island and mainland Queensland determined that quolls conserved on this island had lost their ability to recognise and avoid both dingo and cats, predators they have co-evolved with on mainland Australia for at least 3500 and 150 years respectively. This study suggests that animals conserved in complete isolation from predators can rapidly lose evolved antipredator behaviours, in this case in only 13 generations, when they are no longer maintained via natural selection. [18]

Research has shown that the conservation of a single population, or even several populations, will not prevent the loss of substantial amounts of genomic variation and adaptive capacity across the species. [13] To conserve more than 90% of the genetic diversity of the species, at least eight separate populations of northern quolls need to be conserved, which requires conservation of populations in Queensland, the Northern Territory, and Western Australia. [13]

In 2022, Territory Natural Resource Management (TRM) partnered with Australian Wildlife Conservancy, James Cook University, Gulf Savannah NRM, and Western Yalanji to trial conservation methods, including artificial dens for quolls, genetic research and controlled burn programs. [19] [20] The project received grant funding from the Australian Government’s Environment Restoration Fund. [19]

In Aboriginal language and culture

The Northern Quoll is known as njanjma [21] in the Indigenous Kundjeyhmi, Kundedjnjenghmi and Mayali languages, djabbo in Kunwinjku, [22] [23] [24] and wijingarri in Wunambal. [25] The Kunwinjku people of Western Arnhem Land (Northern Territory) regard djabbo as "good tucker". [26] [27]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kakadu National Park</span> Protected area in the Northern Territory of Australia

Kakadu National Park is a protected area in the Northern Territory of Australia, 171 km (106 mi) southeast of Darwin. It is a World Heritage Site. Kakadu is also gazetted as a locality, covering the same area as the national park, with 313 people recorded living there in the 2016 Australian census.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dasyuridae</span> Family of marsupials

The Dasyuridae are a family of marsupials native to Australia and New Guinea, including 71 extant species divided into 17 genera. Many are small and mouse-like or shrew-like, giving some of them the name marsupial mice or marsupial shrews, but the group also includes the cat-sized quolls, as well as the Tasmanian devil. They are found in a wide range of habitats, including grassland, underground, forests, and mountains, and some species are arboreal or semiaquatic. The Dasyuridae are often called the 'marsupial carnivores', as most members of the family are insectivores.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tiger quoll</span> Carnivorous marsupial native to Australia

The tiger quoll, also known as the spotted-tailed quoll, spotted quoll, spotted-tailed dasyure, or tiger cat, is a carnivorous marsupial of the quoll genus Dasyurus native to Australia. With males and females weighing around 3.5 and 1.8 kg, respectively, it is the world's second-largest extant carnivorous marsupial, behind the Tasmanian devil. Two subspecies are recognised; the nominate is found in wet forests of southeastern Australia and Tasmania, and a northern subspecies, D. m. gracilis, is found in a small area of northern Queensland and is endangered.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Quoll</span> Genus of marsupial mammals

Quolls are carnivorous marsupials native to Australia and New Guinea. They are primarily nocturnal and spend most of the day in a den. Of the six species of quoll, four are found in Australia and two in New Guinea. Another two species are known from fossil remains in Pliocene and Pleistocene deposits in Queensland. Genetic evidence indicates that quolls evolved around 15 million years ago in the Miocene, and that the ancestors of the six species had all diverged by around four million years ago. The six species vary in weight and size, from 300 g (11 oz) to 7 kg (15 lb). They have brown or black fur and pink noses. They are largely solitary, but come together for a few social interactions such as mating which occurs during the winter season. A female gives birth to up to 30 pups, but the number that can be raised to adulthood is limited by the number of teats (6–7). They have a life span of 1–5 years.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Northern brown bandicoot</span> Species of marsupial

The northern brown bandicoot, a marsupial species, is a bandicoot found only on the northern and eastern coasts of Australia and nearby islands, mainly Papua New Guinea. It is not, however, found far inland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rakali</span> Species of mammal

The rakali, also known as the rabe, the "Australian Otter" or water-rat, is an Australian native rodent first scientifically described in 1804. Adoption of the Ngarrindjeri name rakali is intended to foster a positive public attitude by Environment Australia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eastern quoll</span> Species of marsupial

The eastern quoll is a medium-sized carnivorous marsupial (dasyurid), and one of six extant species of quolls. Endemic to Australia, they occur on the island state of Tasmania, but were considered extinct on the mainland after 1963. The species has been reintroduced to fox-proof fenced sanctuaries in Victoria in 2003 and to the Australian Capital Territory in 2016.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dasyurini</span> Tribe of marsupials

The tribe Dasyurini includes several genera of small carnivorous marsupials native to Australia: quolls, kowari, mulgara, kaluta, dibblers, neophascogales, pseudantechinuses, and the Tasmanian devil.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Western quoll</span> Species of marsupial

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

<span class="mw-page-title-main">New Guinean quoll</span> Species of marsupial

The New Guinean quoll, also known as the New Guinea quoll or New Guinea native cat, is a carnivorous marsupial mammal native to New Guinea. It is the second-largest surviving marsupial carnivore of New Guinea. It is known as suatg in the Kalam language of Papua New Guinea.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fawn antechinus</span> Species of marsupial

The fawn antechinus is a species of small carnivorous marsupial found in northern Australia. It is the only Antechinus to be found in the Northern Territory and has a patchy, restricted range.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rock-haunting ringtail possum</span> Species of marsupial

The rock-haunting ringtail possum, also known as the rock ringtail possum, is a species of Australian possum. It is found in rocky escarpments in the Kimberley, Arnhem Land and Gulf of Carpentaria across Western Australia and Northern Territory and just passing the Queensland border. It is also found on Groote Eylandt. It is the only species in the genus Petropseudes, but is part of the group including the common ringtail possum.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Agile wallaby</span> Species of marsupial

The agile wallaby, also known as the sandy wallaby, is a species of wallaby found in northern Australia and southern New Guinea. It is the most common wallaby in north Australia. The agile wallaby is a sandy colour, becoming paler below. It is sometimes solitary and at other times sociable and grazes on grasses and other plants. The agile wallaby is not considered threatened.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Short-eared rock-wallaby</span> Species of marsupial

The short-eared rock-wallaby is a species of rock-wallaby found in northern Australia, in the northernmost parts of the Northern Territory and Western Australia. It is much larger than its three closest relatives, the eastern short-eared rock-wallaby, the nabarlek and the monjon.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brush-tailed rabbit rat</span> Species of rodent

The brush-tailed rabbit rat is a species of rodent in the family Muridae. It is found in Australia and Papua New Guinea.

The dusky rat is an indigenous species of rodent in the family Muridae found in Australia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cane toads in Australia</span> Invasive species of toad

The cane toad in Australia is regarded as an exemplary case of an invasive species. Australia's relative isolation prior to European colonisation and the Industrial Revolution, both of which dramatically increased traffic and import of novel species, allowed development of a complex, interdepending system of ecology, but one which provided no natural predators for many of the species subsequently introduced. The recent, sudden inundation of foreign species has led to severe breakdowns in Australian ecology, after overwhelming proliferation of a number of introduced species, for which the continent has no efficient natural predators or parasites, and which displace native species; in some cases, these species are physically destructive to habitat, as well. Cane toads have been very successful as an invasive species, having become established in more than 15 countries within the past 150 years. In the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999, the Australian government listed the impacts of the cane toad as a "key threatening process".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Savanna glider</span> Species of Australian marsupial

The savanna glider is a species of arboreal gliding possum in the genus Petaurus.

Guntheria coorongensis is a species of mite in the family Trombiculidae, found from the tip of Cape York in Queensland to South Australia.

References

Cited references

  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. 1 2 Oakwood, M.; Woinarski, J.; Burnett, S. (2016). "Dasyurus hallucatus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2016: e.T6295A21947321. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-2.RLTS.T6295A21947321.en . Retrieved 12 November 2021.
  3. ↑ "Dasyurus hallucatus — Northern Quoll, Digul [Gogo-Yimidir], Wijingadda [Dambimangari], Wiminji [Martu]".
  4. ↑ Thomas, O. (1926). "The local races of Dasyurus hallucatus". The Annals and Magazine of Natural History. 9 (18): 543–544. doi:10.1080/00222932608633550.
  5. 1 2 3 von Takach, Brenton; Ranjard, Louis; Burridge, Christopher P.; Cameron, Skye F.; Cremona, Teigan; Eldridge, Mark D. B.; Fisher, Diana O.; Frankenberg, Stephen; Hill, Brydie M.; Hohnen, Rosemary; Jolly, Chris J.; Kelly, Ella; MacDonald, Anna J.; Moussalli, Adnan; Ottewell, Kym (2022). "Population genomics of a predatory mammal reveals patterns of decline and impacts of exposure to toxic toads". Molecular Ecology. 31 (21): 5468–5486. Bibcode:2022MolEc..31.5468V. doi:10.1111/mec.16680. ISSN   0962-1083. PMC   9826391 . PMID   36056907.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 "Dasyurus hallucatus — Northern Quoll" (website). Species Profile and Threats Database. Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities. 13 March 2012. Retrieved 5 September 2012.
  7. ↑ Nelson, John E.; Robert T. Gemmell (2003). "Birth in the northern quoll, Dasyurus hallucatus (Marsupialia : Dasyuridae)". Australian Journal of Zoology. 51 (2): 187–198. doi:10.1071/ZO02016.
  8. ↑ Schmitt, L.H.; Bradley, A.J.; Kemper, C.M.; Kitchener, D.J.; Humphreys, W.F.; How, R.A. (April 1989). "Ecology and physiology of the northern quoll, Dasyurus hallucatus (Marsupialia, Dasyuridae), at Mitchell Plateau, Kimberley, Western Australia". Journal of Zoology. 217 (4): 539–558. doi:10.1111/j.1469-7998.1989.tb02510.x.
  9. ↑ Clemente, Cristofer (1 February 2023). "Resting disparity in quoll semelparity: examining the sex-linked behaviours of wild roaming northern quolls (Dasyurus hallucatus) during breeding season". Royal Society Open Science. 10 (2). Bibcode:2023RSOS...1021180G. doi:10.1098/rsos.221180. PMC   9890097 . PMID   36756058. S2CID   256416912.
  10. ↑ Menkhorst. P, Knight. F "A field Guide to the Mammals of Australia" Oxford University Press South Melbourne, 2001, p. 48 ISBN   0-19-550870-X
  11. ↑ Moore, Harry A.; Dunlop, Judy A.; Valentine, Leonie E.; Woinarski, John C. Z.; Ritchie, Euan G.; Watson, David M.; Nimmo, Dale G. (2019). Santini, Luca (ed.). "Topographic ruggedness and rainfall mediate geographic range contraction of a threatened marsupial predator". Diversity and Distributions. 25 (12): 1818–1831. Bibcode:2019DivDi..25.1818M. doi:10.1111/ddi.12982. hdl: 10536/DRO/DU:30129659 . ISSN   1366-9516. S2CID   202850580.
  12. 1 2 3 von Takach, Brenton; Scheele, Ben C.; Moore, Harry; Murphy, Brett P.; Banks, Sam C. (2020). "Patterns of niche contraction identify vital refuge areas for declining mammals". Diversity and Distributions. 26 (11): 1467–1482. Bibcode:2020DivDi..26.1467V. doi:10.1111/ddi.13145. hdl: 1885/286535 . ISSN   1366-9516. S2CID   221758373.
  13. 1 2 3 von Takach, Brenton; Cameron, Skye F.; Cremona, Teigan; Eldridge, Mark D. B.; Fisher, Diana O.; Hohnen, Rosemary; Jolly, Chris J.; Kelly, Ella; Phillips, Ben L.; Radford, Ian J.; Rick, Kate; Spencer, Peter B. S.; Trewella, Gavin J.; Umbrello, Linette S.; Banks, Sam C. (1 March 2024). "Conservation prioritisation of genomic diversity to inform management of a declining mammal species". Biological Conservation. 291: 110467. doi: 10.1016/j.biocon.2024.110467 . ISSN   0006-3207.
  14. ↑ "New populations of endangered species found". Australian Geographic. 27 August 2014. Retrieved 11 November 2014.
  15. ↑ Kelly, Ella; Phillips, Ben L (2018). "Targeted gene flow and rapid adaptation in an endangered marsupial". Conservation Biology. 33 (1): 112–121. doi: 10.1111/cobi.13149 . hdl: 11343/284471 . PMID   29896894.
  16. ↑ Woinarski, John C. Z.; Brennan, Kym; Rankmore, Brooke; Griffiths, Anthony D. (21 August 2017). "Demographic evaluation of translocating the threatened northern quoll to two Australian islands". Wildlife Research. 44 (3): 238–247. doi:10.1071/WR16165. ISSN   1448-5494. S2CID   89771753.
  17. ↑ Jolly, Christopher J.; Kelly, Ella; Gillespie, Graeme R.; Phillips, Ben; Webb, Jonathan K. (2018). "Out of the frying pan: Reintroduction of toad-smart northern quolls to southern Kakadu National Park". Austral Ecology. 43 (2): 139–149. Bibcode:2018AusEc..43..139J. doi: 10.1111/aec.12551 . hdl: 11343/293765 . ISSN   1442-9993.
  18. ↑ Jolly, Chris J.; Webb, Jonathan K.; Phillips, Ben L. (30 June 2018). "The perils of paradise: an endangered species conserved on an island loses antipredator behaviours within 13 generations". Biology Letters. 14 (6): 20180222. doi:10.1098/rsbl.2018.0222. PMC   6030597 . PMID   29875211.
  19. 1 2 "NEW PROJECT TO HELP THE ENDANGERED NORTHERN QUOLL". Terrain. 17 May 2022.
  20. ↑ "New project to help Northern Quolls in Far North Queensland". Australian Wildlife Conservancy. 23 May 2022.
  21. ↑ "njanjma". Bininj Kunwok Dictionary. Bininj Kunwok Regional Language Centre. Retrieved 17 October 2022.
  22. ↑ Garde, Murray. "djabbo". Bininj Kunwok Online Dictionary. Bininj Kunwok Regional Language Centre. Retrieved 30 October 2021.
  23. ↑ Chaloupka, G. (1993). Journey in Time. Reed. p. 229. ISBN   0-7301-0310-2.
  24. ↑ Goodfellow, D. (1993). Fauna of Kakadu and the Top End. Wakefield Press. p. 20. ISBN   1862543062.
  25. ↑ "Wunambal Gaambera Partnership". Bush Heritage Australia. Retrieved 11 November 2020.
  26. ↑ Reverend Peterson Nganjmirra, personal comment
  27. ↑ Goodfellow, D. (1993). Fauna of Kakadu and the Top End. Wakefield Press. p. 20. ISBN   1862543062.

General references

  • Braithwaite, R.W. & R.J. Begg (1995), "Northern Quoll", in Strahan, Ronald, The Mammals of Australia, Reed Books
  • Oakwood, M. 2000. Reproduction and demography of the northern quoll, Dasyurus hallucatus, in the lowland savanna of northern Australia. Australian Journal of Zoology 48, 519–539.
  • Oakwood, M. and Spratt, D. 2000. Parasites of the northern quoll, Dasyurus hallucatus (Marsupialia: Dasyuridae) in tropical savanna, Northern Territory. Australian Journal of Zoology 48, 79–90.
  • Oakwood, M., Bradley, AJ., and Cockburn, A. 2001. Semelparity in a large marsupial. Proceedings of the Royal Society of London, B. 268, 407–411.
  • Oakwood, M. 2004. Death after sex. Biologist 51, 5–8.
  • Oakwood, M. 2004. Case of the disappearing spots. Nature Australia 26, 26–35.
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