New Guinean Quoll

Taxobox
name = New Guinean Quoll [MSW3 Groves|pages = 25]
status = NT
trend = down
status_system = iucn3.1
status_ref = IUCN2006 | assessors = Australasian Marsupial & Monotreme Specialist Group | year = 1996 | title = Dasyurus albopunctatus | id = 6299 | downloaded = 2006-11-23]
regnum = Animalia
phylum = Chordata
classis = Mammalia
infraclassis = Marsupialia
ordo = Dasyuromorphia
familia = Dasyuridae
genus = "Dasyurus"
species = "D. albopunctatus"
binomial = "Dasyurus albopunctatus"
binomial_authority = Schlegel, 1880The New Guinean Quoll ("Dasyurus albopunctatus"), 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. [Only the Bronze Quoll ("Dasyurus spartacus") is larger.]

Taxonomy

The New Guinean Quoll belongs to the Dasyuridae family of carnivorous marsupials, which includes other species of quolls, the extinct Thylacine, the Tasmanian Devil and many smaller carnivores. It is one of six extant species of quolls, four of which are found in only in Australia and two of which are restricted to New Guinea (the Bronze Quoll is the other New Guinean species). Both the quolls found in New Guinea seem to be most closely related to the Australian Western Quoll.

Description

The New Guinean Quoll is small, usually weighing just over 1 lb (0.45 kg). Its body is brown and the back spotted with white; the spots do not extend onto the lightly haired tail. It resembles a cat-like opossum; the quolls are also referred to as "native cats" and occasionally "marsupial cats" or "tiger cats". Its feet have transversely striated pads, which is likely to be an adaptation for grip and is indicative of a life spent in the trees. It lives throughout the forests of New Guinea at elevations up to 11,000 feet but usually closer to 3,000 feet. The population appears to be centered in the highlands of New Guinea.

Behaviour and diet

Quolls feed on a large range of prey including birds, rats and other marsupials, small reptiles and insects. They are reported to feed on prey larger than themselves. They are good climbers but also spend time on the forest floor. Although nocturnal, they spend the daylight hours basking in the sun. They nest in rocky banks, hollow logs or small caves. In captivity the longest recorded survival is 3 years, but their lifespan in the wild is unknown.

Threats

The numbers of New Guinean Quolls are believed to be decreasing as a result of human encroachment into their habitat and the associated loss of cover. Because they are known to scavenge, persecution by humans may be putting pressure on the population. They also face predation and competition from introduced species such as dogs, cats and foxes.

Notes

References

*cite web|url=http://www.worldwildlife.org/expeditions/newguinea/spec_ngq.cfm|title=What lives there?|publisher=Worldwide Fund for Nature|accessdate=23 November|accessyear=2006
*cite web|url=http://www.demogr.mpg.de/longevityrecords/0203.htm|title=Longevity Records Life Spans of Mammals, Birds, Amphibians, Reptiles, and Fish|publisher=Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research|accessdate=23 November|accessyear=2006
*cite encyclopedia|encyclopedia =Encyclopædia Britannica|title = Dasyrure| publisher = Cambridge University Press| location = London| edition = 11th Ed.| date = 1911

External links

* [http://www.bees.unsw.edu.au/school/staff/firestone/firestoneprojects.html#7 Photo of New Guinean quoll] .