Dasyurus geoffroii
western quoll

Dasyurus geoffroii are mainly found in the southwest portion of Western Australia in the Jarrah forest, though their range once covered Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, and South Australia (Johnson et al 1982, Menkhorst et al 1995).

The original habitat of western quolls was once quite large, including stretches of desert in the arid part of Central Australia. However due to various causes, D. geoffroii's territory has been reduced to the Jarrah forests in the southwest portion of South Australia. These areas consist of open forest, low open forest, woodland, and open shrub.

(Hyett et al 1980, Mawson 1996, Menkhorst et al 1995)

Dasyurus geoffroii usually sport a brown or black (rarer) coat with white spots along their lean, short-legged bodies. The face is paler than the rest of the fur while the ears are white-rimmed. Western quolls are roughly the size of a cat and have pointed facial features along with large eyes and rounded ears. They measure roughly 36 cm to 46 cm in body length, tail length ranges from 22 to 30 cm. Females are the smaller of the species. (Collins, 1973; Hyett and Shaw, 1980; Massicot, 2000; Mawson, 2000; Ride, 1970)

Western quolls are nocturnal and territorial creatures. Home ranges of males are large and probably overlap the territory of several females, however male and female D. geoffroii only meet for mating. The young disperse in November before taking up their own territories. Western quolls do climb trees and often nest in dens left by other animals, in logs, or in stone piles. The presence of D. geoffroii can be detected by bone accumulations beneath rocks and in tree hollows. They are rarely seen due to the reduction in their habitat by humans and numbers of introduced predators, such as foxes, birds of prey, and feral cats.

(Hyett et al 1980, Mawson 1996, Menkhorst et al 1995)

Their diet is rather diverse, ranging from large insects, to small vertebrates, to carrion. In arid habitats they have been found to eat mammals the size of rabbits, lizards, frogs, and invertebrates. In forested habitats they consume insects, freshwater crustaceans, reptiles, parrot-sized birds, and rabbit-sized mammals. In human-settled areas they will raid chicken coops and rubbish bins. Dasyurus geoffroii kills larger prey by biting the back of the head or neck. This carnivore is primarily a ground forager and nocturnal though it does occasionally climb trees.

(Hume 1999, Menkhorst et al 1995, Hyett et al 1980)

In rare instances western quoll may take domestic fowl.

Western quolls are important to the aboriginal people of Australia as a symbol in their mythology, as food, and for ceremonial purposes. Dasyurus geoffroii also serve as natural predators of insects, pests, and rabbits that plague some farmers.

(Johnson et al 1982, Ride 1970)

Much of western quoll's habitat has been destroyed through controlled and frequent burns as well as the use of pesticides by surrounding farmers. The introduction of predator species such as foxes, feral cats, and bird of preys by European settlers has also reduced their numbers. The new predators compete with western quoll for food and also prey upon them. There have been successful attempts to breed D. geoffroii in captivity and release them (Perth Zoo). Research on western quoll and their habitat have been conducted in hopes of finding a way to preserve the species in the wild. Various areas have passed acts in an attempt to conserve these marsupials but there are no statistics on their success. (Mawson 1996, Massicot 2000, Murdoch University 1997)

Western quoll have a life span of 5.5 years in captivity and 3-4 years in the wild (Mawson 1996) .