Book Chapter
The largest surviving marsupial carnivore on mainland Australia: the Tiger or Spotted-tailed QuollDasyurus maculatus, a nationally threatened, forest-dependent species
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Published:2004
Citation
Chris Belcher, 2004. "The largest surviving marsupial carnivore on mainland Australia: the Tiger or Spotted-tailed QuollDasyurus maculatus, a nationally threatened, forest-dependent species", Conservation of Australia's Forest Fauna, Daniel Lunney
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Dasyurus maculatus maculatus is a forest-dependent species, the largest surviving marsupial carnivore on mainland Australia and the sole surviving member of its genus in south-east mainland Australia. It is classified as ‘Vulnerable’ nationally. The species' ecology, and the factors considered responsible for its continuing decline, are reviewed. Loss of forest cover, principally from clearing for agriculture, has resulted in fragmentation and reduction in range of approximately 50%. Clear-fell logging rotation cycles appear to be too short to enable the regrowth forest to develop the habitat characteristics required by tiger quolls. There is reasonably compelling evidence that 1080 poison baiting can cause substantial reductions in tiger quoll populations and poison baiting is likely to be at least partly responsible for the species' decline. There are no data to support competition or predation by introduced predators as a major causal factor in the continuing decline in abundance and range of the tiger quoll. Despite the lack of published studies on the ecology of theD. m. maculatus, sufficient is known to allow recommendations to be made for forest management, research and the management of the forest-farm interface.
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