Mammals
Eastern Quoll
Dasyurus viverrinus · also called eastern native cat
Released into an unfenced mainland reserve for the first time in generations, an eastern quoll pads cautiously into the darkness, part of a genuine conservation turnaround for a species that had been completely absent from mainland Australia for more than fifty years.
Overview
The eastern quoll, Dasyurus viverrinus, is a spotted carnivorous marsupial native to forest and grassland habitat across Tasmania, with newly reintroduced populations now established at select mainland Australian sites. Its historical extinction across the entire Australian mainland, ongoing reintroduction success, and two distinct fawn and near-black coat colour forms make it one of the more hopeful conservation stories among Australia’s carnivorous marsupials.
Fifty years gone, now cautiously coming back
Absent from the Australian mainland since the mid-20th century, the eastern quoll’s return through carefully managed reintroduction programmes represents one of the more genuinely encouraging comebacks in recent Australian mammal conservation.
Status
Endangered, though active reintroduction and conservation programmes have begun cautiously increasing the species’ overall numbers and range after decades of mainland absence.
Eastern Quoll: common questions
Why did the eastern quoll disappear from mainland Australia?
This species disappeared entirely from the Australian mainland by the mid-20th century due to a combination of habitat loss, disease, and predation by introduced foxes and cats, surviving only in Tasmania until conservationists began reintroducing it to select mainland sites in recent years.
How is the eastern quoll being brought back to the mainland?
This species has been reintroduced to fenced mainland sanctuaries and, more recently, unfenced reserves where introduced predator numbers are actively managed, marking a genuine and closely monitored reversal after more than half a century of complete mainland absence.
How can you tell the eastern quoll apart from the spotted-tailed quoll?
This species is smaller and more slender than the spotted-tailed quoll, and unlike that larger relative, the eastern quoll lacks spots along its tail, carrying spots only across its body in either a fawn or nearly black colour form.
Is the eastern quoll social?
No, this species is largely solitary and nocturnal, hunting alone across its own home range and coming together with other individuals mainly during the breeding season rather than living or foraging in groups.