A new population of the northern quoll (Dasyurus hallucatus) on the edge of the Little Sandy Desert, Western Australia
Jeff M. Turpin A B and Mike J. Bamford A
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations
A Bamford Consulting Ecologists, Kingsley, WA 6026, Australia.
B Corresponding author. Email: jeff.m.turpin@gmail.com
Australian Mammalogy 37(1) 86-91 https://doi.org/10.1071/AM13045
Submitted: 18 December 2013 Accepted: 1 May 2014 Published: 29 September 2014
Abstract
A fauna survey was conducted within the Throssell and Broadhurst Ranges in the Little Sandy Desert Bioregion of Western Australia during August and September 2012. The endangered northern quoll (Dasyurus hallucatus) was recorded from two distinct locations of similar habitat: deep dissected rocky gorges containing caves and permanent waterholes. One individual was photographed by a motion-sensitive camera and several scats were collected, with mitochondrial DNA analysis confirming the identification. These records represent a significant range extension (~200 km) and due to habitat restrictions are likely to represent the very eastern extreme of the species’ range.
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