Quolls are carnivorous marsupials, unique to Australia and New Guinea. These nocturnal predators play a role in their ecosystems. Their habitats are fundamental to their survival, shaping behaviors and dictating access to food and shelter. Understanding these environments helps appreciate the challenges these creatures face. This article explores the diverse habitats quolls occupy across Australia.
General Features of Quoll Habitats
Quoll habitats share several characteristics, often with moderate to heavy rainfall. They are often found in various types of forests, woodlands, and grasslands. These environments provide resources for survival, including abundant prey and suitable denning sites.
Dense undergrowth is a consistent feature, offering cover for hunting and protection from predators. Access to water sources also influences their movements and home ranges. Quolls are nocturnal and seek shelter during the day in various den sites, such as hollow logs, rock crevices, tree hollows, and even abandoned burrows or termite mounds.
Habitat Preferences of Quoll Species
Each of the four Australian quoll species has specific habitat preferences and geographical distributions. The Eastern Quoll (Dasyurus viverrinus), once widespread across southeastern mainland Australia, now primarily resides in Tasmania, with a few reintroduced mainland populations. This species favors dry grasslands, open woodlands, and the edges of agricultural land, often utilizing riparian forests, and dens in hollow logs, rock piles, or even haysheds.
The Western Quoll (Dasyurus geoffroii), also known as the Chuditch, is largely confined to the southwestern corner of Western Australia, though its historical range was much broader. It inhabits wet and dry sclerophyll forests, woodlands, and mallee shrublands, often requiring rocky outcrops and using hollow logs or earth burrows for dens. The Northern Quoll (Dasyurus hallucatus) is found across northern Australia, from the Pilbara region to southeast Queensland. This species is found in rocky areas, open eucalyptus forests, woodlands, and grasslands, creating dens in rock crevices, tree hollows, logs, or termite mounds.
The Tiger Quoll, or Spotted-tailed Quoll (Dasyurus maculatus), is the largest of the quoll species and is found along the east coast of Australia and in Tasmania. It prefers wet sclerophyll forests and rainforests, especially mature, undisturbed forest. This species is more arboreal than other quolls, often using large hollow logs and tree hollows for denning, and can have substantial home ranges, up to 800 hectares for males.
Dangers to Quoll Habitats
Quoll habitats face numerous threats, largely stemming from human activities. Habitat loss and fragmentation result from land clearing for agriculture, urban development, and infrastructure projects. This diminishes available area and isolates populations, making them more vulnerable to other dangers.
Altered fire regimes also pose a threat. Frequent and intense bushfires can destroy the dense undergrowth and hollow logs that quolls rely on for shelter, breeding, and protection from predators. While some fire can create hollows, a balance of low intensity and varying frequencies is needed to support quoll habitat. Invasive species, such as feral cats and foxes, directly degrade habitat quality by competing for food resources and preying on quolls, further stressing already fragmented populations.