What a beautiful spring weekend here in Whitehorse.  The temperature was about 11 degrees Celsius and the snow is really melting now.  Spring has always been one of my favourite seasons.  Although I love spring so much, I figured we would take a few minutes and head to a country that is experiencing autumn right now.  Of course I am talking about Australia. I want to head south to talk about a little marsupial called the Quoll, which just happens to be native to Australia and Papua New Guinea.

The quoll has often been referred to as the “Native Cat” by the locals due to the resemblance to our furry, feline friends. I don’t personally see the resemblance but then I am dog person. People may think they look like cats but they are actually in the same tribe as one of my favourite Looney Tunes character, Taz the Tasmanian Devil.

All species of quoll’s are roughly the same size weighing in at 1.3-7 kg (3-15.4 lbs).  This size puts them as one of the largest carnivorous marsupials and therefore puts them in a pretty good spot on the food chain.  They feed on animals such as birds, insects, small mammals and reptiles.  Just like humans, they like to mix up their diet every now and again with things such as berries, grasses and nuts.  I am sure your dietitian would agree that variety in your diet is always a good thing.

With winter rapidly approaching in Australia, this little marsupial is getting ready for mating season.  The male will travel great distances to find the right mate.  Since the quoll is a marsupial, the new-born babies are very small and undeveloped.  They will find their way to their pouch where they will be nourished and continue to grow.  The majority of quoll species do not have a true pouch like a kangaroo.  Instead they have little folds of skin on their belly that they baby curls up in.  Eventually, the babies can be seen dangling from the mom’s belly before they move up in the world and travel on her back.

Quoll Fast Fact: The quolls will often share the same toilet as other quolls.  That’s right, they find a nice spot such as rock ledges and set up a public outhouse.  The reason for this has to do with scent marking the boundaries of their territory.