Return of the Quoll
The mighty quoll is returning slowly, apparently:
Quolls are mainland Australia's top marsupial predator. When cane toads spread after being introduced to north Queensland cane farms in the 1930s, the domestic cat-sized tiger quoll and its smaller relative the northern quoll disappeared in their wake, dying within minutes of swallowing the toxic amphibians. Now it seems the quoll is making a remarkable comeback because it has finally learned not to tangle with the toads or with wild dog baits laced with 1080 poison. Viewed as an endangered species, the quoll is turning up around Brisbane and in areas where it was thought to have died out long ago.
The quoll's turn of fate shows how a threatened species can evolve over a relatively short time to beat the odds. From the surviving populations of quolls, the marsupials are now returning to their former haunts after learning to live with the toads, either by shunning them as food or becoming resistant to their venom. Now wildlife researchers say dozens of tiger quoll sightings have been reported around Queensland, while northern quolls are reappearing in places such as the suburbs of Cairns.
Separate research in Queensland and northern NSW has also found that quolls now ignore 1080 baits laid for wild dogs. If they do eat them, it seems the quolls disgorge them soon after. As Roberts reported, a study of quolls in the Boonoo Boonoo area near Tenterfield and across the Queensland border at Cherribah has found the marsupials are just as common in bushland on baited properties as they are in bait-free national parks.
Way to go, the quoll. This is a good example of animals adapting to new environments, but I doubt it allays all the ecological fears that The Oz would sugggest. And does this mean quolls are smarter than wild dogs? And what's this talk of them evolving?
Quolls are mainland Australia's top marsupial predator. When cane toads spread after being introduced to north Queensland cane farms in the 1930s, the domestic cat-sized tiger quoll and its smaller relative the northern quoll disappeared in their wake, dying within minutes of swallowing the toxic amphibians. Now it seems the quoll is making a remarkable comeback because it has finally learned not to tangle with the toads or with wild dog baits laced with 1080 poison. Viewed as an endangered species, the quoll is turning up around Brisbane and in areas where it was thought to have died out long ago.
The quoll's turn of fate shows how a threatened species can evolve over a relatively short time to beat the odds. From the surviving populations of quolls, the marsupials are now returning to their former haunts after learning to live with the toads, either by shunning them as food or becoming resistant to their venom. Now wildlife researchers say dozens of tiger quoll sightings have been reported around Queensland, while northern quolls are reappearing in places such as the suburbs of Cairns.
Separate research in Queensland and northern NSW has also found that quolls now ignore 1080 baits laid for wild dogs. If they do eat them, it seems the quolls disgorge them soon after. As Roberts reported, a study of quolls in the Boonoo Boonoo area near Tenterfield and across the Queensland border at Cherribah has found the marsupials are just as common in bushland on baited properties as they are in bait-free national parks.
Way to go, the quoll. This is a good example of animals adapting to new environments, but I doubt it allays all the ecological fears that The Oz would sugggest. And does this mean quolls are smarter than wild dogs? And what's this talk of them evolving?
posted by Engels at 10:34 am
5 Comments:
Wonder how they'll adjust to the warmer temperatures we'll be experiencing if we don't do anything about global warming.
I love it how in the last week, global warming has become the new 'it' issue, and how that we're all gunna die in about 40 years if nothing is done now.
But good on the quoll, Engels, this is the 2nd new animal I've discovered from your blog, the other being that crazy zebra/horse/tiger/fish/whatever thing from about a year ago.
PS- totally off topic, did ya hear what happened to Steffans South Brisbane big penis thingy on the weekend! It caught fire, but now Mr. Steffan himself is not going to fix it up, make it into some crazy lazer light show that keeps beat with music!!
martini... always about the big penis, aren't we, eh?
on the flipside, i bet zebra/horse/quolls would taste just ace with some beers....
Oh no! Not the penis thing. I used to give directions to my place via the penis thing. That's not entirely true. I just like pointing it out to people.
The Okapi is one crazy animal.
Back in the seventies it was an ice age coming. This global warmining does seem serious. Although imagine how happy the Canadians and Russians will be. And the Greenlanders will think it's the 12 hundreds again (mini warm break).
So the Russians and Canadians will be happy because most of their country will become livable?? Yeah this global warming seems serious, but surely it should have been for a long time now?
The old Okapi, I remember when you brought the Okapi up one drinking session, and how I didn't believe about the magical half zebra-half giraffe animal, and how I asked you to prove it through your blog. The Engels' Empire by request!
The Russian president (just prior to ratifying the Kyoto Protocol) joked how some global warmining would be good for Russia.
There's a couple of different schools of thought on global warming. Some choose to ignore it completely. Some point to the medieval warm period and the Little Ice Age, and say our our warming is just part of a non-man made cycle - though there's the suggestion that this related to decrease in farming due to the black death. Finally some, such as Bjørn Lomborg, say it's happening and we could spend billions on lessening it slightly, or we could spend our money on better causes such as combating AIDs.
Obviously a complex issue.
You can always make more blog requests, Martini. Saves me thinking of various rants.
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