Northern Quoll

This is a Northern Quoll, or Dasyurus hallucatus, for you scientists which was caught in an animal trap in Crediton State Forest, near Mackay, Australia. It is a nocturnal marsupial (an animal that has a pouch, like a kangaroo) and it eats insects, freshwater crabs, etc. It is becoming an endangered species, due to loss of habitat, and the threat of introduced animals like foxes, cats, and cane toads.

In December, a team of rangers from the Queensland Government Department of the Environment was trapping Quolls throughout the forest to attach radio-tracking collars to them, and to just get more information about their lives. I got to tag along as a volunteer.

This animal freaked out so much when it saw us coming in the morning, that it bashed it's nose against the trap door, injuring itself. The ranger determined that this one was a young female, who was a virgin (could tell by the rusty colour of the pouch fur, apparently 0.o).

Another interesting fact that I learned from the rangers was that almost all the males are dead by the end of each Spring (mating season). This is because the males spend so much time and energy fighting competitively against other males and mating during the Spring, that they 'forget' to eat or sleep, and run out of energy/starve to death. The females then raise the young through the spring and summer. Males only live about one year. D:

More information, if you are interested:
www.abc.net.au/news/2014-10-03…
www.wildlife.org.au/wildlife/s…