Dasyurus viverrinus
2 Eastern Quoll at Forde, ACT
Identify this sighting
| Dasyurus viverrinus | BelindaWilson | 25 Apr 2023 | ||
| Dasyurus viverrinus | pjpiper | 25 Apr 2023 |
Please Login or Register to identify this sighting.
User's notes
At Mulligans Flat. Quoll was visible only for a few seconds. I have never seen one before.
3 comments
25 Apr 2023
Only the second ever sighting of an Eastern Quoll on Canberra Nature Map.
25 Apr 2023
Thanks for the observation @pjpiper! Eastern quolls are primarily nocturnal during their adulthood, so it is worth noting that any adult that is out during the day is generally not fairing very well.
There has been an increase in daytime sightings in the last month, which is likely due to males shifting their territories ahead of the breeding season in late-May and early winter to maximise the number of females they have access to (since they are polygamous). Dominant males will secure these high-value territories, while subordinate males can be outcompeted and forced into less suitable habitat, sometimes causing them to need to forage in the day if they can't get their needs met at night.
Eastern quolls are in the same family as antechinus, in which males only live for one year due to their 'suicidal reproduction' strategy. Being closely related, it follows that male eastern quolls have short lifespans - typically 1–3 year in the wild. This, in combination with territorial disputes, often leads to an increase in male (and sometimes female) mortality at this time of year. However, since each female can raise up to 6 pups by the following summer, their breeding more than makes up for this!
Please keep sending through these interesting records, and don't hesitate to contact me or the Mulligans Flat team if you have any burning questions. Thanks!
There has been an increase in daytime sightings in the last month, which is likely due to males shifting their territories ahead of the breeding season in late-May and early winter to maximise the number of females they have access to (since they are polygamous). Dominant males will secure these high-value territories, while subordinate males can be outcompeted and forced into less suitable habitat, sometimes causing them to need to forage in the day if they can't get their needs met at night.
Eastern quolls are in the same family as antechinus, in which males only live for one year due to their 'suicidal reproduction' strategy. Being closely related, it follows that male eastern quolls have short lifespans - typically 1–3 year in the wild. This, in combination with territorial disputes, often leads to an increase in male (and sometimes female) mortality at this time of year. However, since each female can raise up to 6 pups by the following summer, their breeding more than makes up for this!
Please keep sending through these interesting records, and don't hesitate to contact me or the Mulligans Flat team if you have any burning questions. Thanks!
25 Apr 2023
Thanks Belinda, keep up the great work trying to bring these beautiful creatures back from the brink. Cheers, Phill
Location information
- Coordinates 149.154400-35.168533
- Maps Mulligans Flat
- Places Forde, ACT
Sighting information
- 1 Abundance
- 25 Apr 2023 01:46 PM Recorded on
- pjpiper Recorded by
- Alive / healthy Animal health
Collections
- pjpiper Canberra & Southern Tablelands NatureMapr ACT threatened species Dasyurus viverrinus Quolls & Tasmanian Devils Mammals
Species information
- Dasyurus viverrinus Scientific name
- Eastern Quoll Common name
- Not Sensitive
- Endangered *
- Non-invasive or negligible
- Up to 684m Recorded at altitude
- External link More information
Record quality
Quality score
5 / 7
- Images or audio
- More than one media file
- Verified by an expert moderator
- Description
- Additional attributes
- Nearby sighting(s) of same species
- GPS evidence of location