What is a Quoll?

Quolls are carnivorous marsupials native to Australia, New Guinea and Tasmania. There are six species of quolls, the largest of which are considered apex predators; however they do face predation from nonnative foxes as well as feral dogs and cats.

Depending on species, quolls measure 10 to 30 inches in length and come in a variety of colors and patterns. They are primarily nocturnal and spend their days sleeping in dens consisting of hollowed out logs or rocky overhangs. They are solitary animals that rarely interact except for mating purposes or when using communal latrine areas in overlapping territories.

Quolls hunt a wide variety of small and medium sized mammals, birds, frogs, lizards and insects, as well as taking advantage of carrion whenever it is available. Common prey usually consists of possums, rabbits and hares. Quolls can extract all of the water they need from the food they eat, allowing them to survive long periods of drought.

The quoll’s biggest animal enemy is not a predator, but actually a prey animal. In the 1930’s Australia introduced a population of over 60,000 nonnative cane toads to help reduce destructive beetle populations. The cane toads make easy prey for quolls, but are toxic to them and cause almost instant death when consumed, reducing the quoll population significantly in recent decades. The Australian government is currently working to eradicate cane toads and come up with methods to persuade quolls not to eat them.

Animal Actor - The Opossum

Opossums are marsupials that carry their young in pouches like kangaroos. The Virginia opossum is the only marsupial found in the United States and Canada. Sometimes incorrectly referred to as “possums”, which are different animals indigenous to Australia, opossums are very adaptable, omnivorous animals that can survive in a variety of climates.

 

 

Photo: Cody Pope

 

 

 

Roughly the size of a house cat, the opossum has a large snout, large canine teeth and feet that are covered in scales called scutes. Their strong tails help them to grip tree branches and other objects, and females have pouches in which to carry their young.

Opossums are primarily nocturnal animals that will roam wherever food and water is available. They will eat almost anything, scavenging human garbage, roadkill and fruits and nuts. They are also known to hunt small animals such as snakes, insects, birds and mice. Ever opportunistic, opossums will sleep in burrows wherever they can find them both above and below ground, but will rarely put much effort into digging a den themselves.

Opossums spend much of their time in trees where they are less vulnerable to predation and use their claws and tails to easily grip branches and tree bark. However, they do often come down to flat ground to forage for food and are thus exposed to predators such as bobcats and dogs. When confronted with a threat the opossum is well known for its ability to “play possum”, tricking the predator into believing it is dead. Far from just an act, this involuntary response causes the animal to fall over; teeth bared, and even secrete a foul smelling fluid from its glands to make it seem less appetizing. Opossums cannot voluntarily wake up from this state and usually do not regain consciousness for 1-4 hours.

Opossum "playing possum"

Baby opossums are only about the size of a honeybee when they are first born and must quickly crawl into their mother’s pouch to survive. Once inside, the baby opossums will wean for 70 to 125 days until they are large enough to emerge and live on their own. Female opossums may give birth to up to 20 offspring at once, but the majority may not even reach her pouch. Although opossums are relatively large mammals, they have an unusually short lifespan of only 2-4 years.