Difference between revisions of "AY Honors/Marsupials/Answer Key"

Revision as of 02:50, 6 March 2005

Template:Regnum:	Animalia
Template:Phylum:	Chordata
Template:Classis:	Mammalia
Template:Subclassis:	Marsupialia
Template:Ordo:	Dasyuromorphia
Template:Familia:	Dasyuridae
Template:Genus:	Dasyurus

Quolls (genus Dasyurus) are carnivorous marsupials, native to Australia and Papua New Guinea. Adults are between 25 and 75 cm long, with hairy tails about 20-35 cm long. Females have six to eight nipples and develop a pouch—which opens towards the tail—only during the breeding season, when they are rearing young. Quolls live both in forests and in open valley land. Though primarily ground-dwelling, they have developed secondary arboreal characteristics. Their molars and canines are strongly developed.

Eastern Quoll

The eastern quoll—also known as the native cat—has two color phases—ginger-brown or black, both with white spots on the body.

Eastern quolls once occured on mainland Australia, with the last sighting occuring in the Sydney suburb of Vaucluse in the early 1960s. They are now considered extinct on the mainlnad, although some recent sightings in the New England region of northern New South Wales suggest that the species may still survive.

Taxonomy

Within the genus Dasyurus, the following species exist:

Dasyurus albopunctatus — New Guinean Quoll, New Guinea
Dasyurus geoffroii — Chuditch or Western Quoll, western Australia
Dasyurus hallucatus — Northern Quoll, northern Australia
Dasyurus maculatus — Spotted Quoll (Tiger Quoll), eastern Australia
Dasyurus spartacus — Bronze Quoll, New Guinea
Dasyurus viverrinus — Eastern Quoll, Tasmania

Template:Australia-stub Template:Animal-stub

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 ==Eastern Quoll==
-The eastern quoll (or native cat, as it is sometimes called) has two [[color]] phases&mdash; [[ginger]]-[[brown]] or [[black]], both with [[white]] spots on the [[body]].
+The eastern quoll&mdash;also known as the native cat&mdash;has two [[color]] phases&mdash;ginger-[[brown]] or [[black]], both with [[white]] spots on the body.
-Eastern quolls once occurred on mainland [[Australia]], with the last sighting occuring in the [[Sydney]] suburb of Vaucluse in the early 1960s.  They are now conseidered extict on the mainland, although some recent sightings in the [[New England]] region of northern [[New South Wales]] suggest that the species may still survive.
+Eastern quolls once occured on mainland [[Australia]], with the last sighting occuring in the [[Sydney]] suburb of Vaucluse in the early 1960s.  They are now considered extinct on the mainlnad, although some recent sightings in the [[New England]] region of northern [[New South Wales]] suggest that the species may still survive.
-The species, fortunately, is widespread and locally common in [[Tasmania]].  It is found in a variety of habitats&mdash; including [[rainforest]], healthland, [[alpine]] areas, and scrub.  However, it seems to prefer dry [[grassland]] and [[forest]] [[mosaics]] which are bounded by agricultural land, particularly where pasture grubs are common.
-Eastern Quolls can be seen in all but the [[Asbestos Range National Park]] and the [[Arthur River]] area.  They are common in [[Mt. Field National Park]].
-Male eastern quolls are about the size of a small domestic cat averaging 6 decimeters in length and 1.3 kilograms in weight; females are slightly smaller.
-==Northern Quolls==
-The Northern Quoll is a beautiful but deadly [[creature]].  A close cousin of the [[chuditch]], it is found throughout the state's north.  It belongs to a group of native marsupial predators known as the native cats
 == Taxonomy ==