AY Honors/Marsupials/Answer Key

Quolls Template:StatusVulnerable
Template:Taxonomy
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. They are about 25-75 cm long, with hairy tailes about 20-35 cm long. Their pouches (apparent only during their breeding season and when the females are rearing young), opens towards the tail. They have 6 to 8 nipples. Their molars and canines are strongly developed. The quolls live in Australia, Tasmania, Papua New Guinea, both in the forests and in open valley land. Though primarily ground-dwelling, the quolls have developed secondary arboreal characteristics. They are endangered animals and are protected.

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