What is the northern quoll and why is it endangered?

The northern quoll, also known as the North Australian native cat, is an endangered marsupial facing population collapse due to cane toads, feral predators, and habitat loss.

Where was the northern quoll last seen before its recent sighting?

Before its recent rediscovery at Piccaninny Plains, the closest confirmed sighting of a northern quoll was in 2017 on neighboring Indigenous managed land.

What efforts are being made to protect the northern quoll at Piccaninny Plains?

Conservationists are using motion-sensor cameras and focusing on managing threats like fire and feral cats in the area where the quoll was sighted.

Home / Environment / Rare Marsupial Spotted After 90 Years in Queensland

Rare Marsupial Spotted After 90 Years in Queensland

6 Jan

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Summary

Endangered northern quoll sighted in Queensland sanctuary after nearly a century.
Motion-sensor camera captured the elusive marsupial at Piccaninny Plains.
Conservationists optimistic about quoll's potential comeback and adaptation.

Rare Marsupial Spotted After 90 Years in Queensland

An exciting rediscovery has been made in Queensland, Australia, where an endangered northern quoll has been sighted for the first time in nearly a century. Captured on a motion-sensor camera at the expansive Piccaninny Plains Wildlife Sanctuary, this event sparks considerable hope for the marsupial's potential resurgence. Once common across northern and eastern Australia, the northern quoll population has faced severe decline due to various threats.

Ecologists had feared the species had vanished from the sanctuary, having not detected it in surveys since 2008. However, a manager's hunch led to the deployment of a camera on an isolated rocky outcrop, yielding unmistakable evidence of the quoll's presence. This finding provides a crucial roadmap for future research and conservation strategies. It also raises questions about the quoll's possible adaptation to environmental challenges like toxic cane toads.