Tiger Quoll - Life History

Life History

Tiger quolls are generally nocturnal and rest during the day in dens. However, juveniles and females with young in the den come be seen during the day and may leave their dens when it is light out. Quoll dens take the form of underground burrows, caves, rock crevices, tree hollows, hollow logs, under house or sheds. Locomotion of quolls takes the form of walking and bounding gaits. Trails are not particularly important for quoll, although they forage and scent mark along runways and roads. Tiger quolls may live in home ranges that range 580-875 ha for males and 90-188 for females. Most resident quoll are female, although in one population study found that both males and females were split between transients and residents. Males have overlapping home ranges, but each have their own core area of at least 128 ha. The home ranges of females may overlap less. Quoll sometimes share dens during the breeding season. After copulation, females act aggressively towards males, especially when close to parturition. For the tiger quoll, olfactory and auditory signals are used more often than visual signals when communicating. Quolls greet each other with nose to nose sniffs and males will sniff the backsides of females to check for estrous. Quolls also mark themselves with mouth and ear secretions. Some populations have communal latrines while others don’t. Rocky creek beds, cliff bases and on roads serve as locations for latrines.

Tiger quolls are generally not vocal, however vocalizations can be heard in any social interaction. Antagonistic or disturbed vocalizations are guttural huffs, coughs, hisses and piercing screams. "Cp-cp-cp" sounds are produced by females in estrous. Females communicate with their young with "chh-chh" and "echh-echh" calls. The former are made by females and the latter are made by young. “Juveniles vocalize frequently when fighting and their mother will hiss when they clamber over her”. During antagonistic encounters, quolls also threaten each other with open mouths and teeth displays. At this time the ears are laid back and the eyes are narrowed. Males grasp and bite each other in combat.

Tiger quolls reproduces seasonally. They mate in midwinter (June/July), but females can breed as early as April. The mating behavior of the tiger quoll is unique among the quoll species in that the female vocalizes when in estrous and easily accepts the male's mounting. In addition, the female’s neck swells up. Mating involves the male holding on the female’s sides with his paws and holding on the neck with his mouth. Copulation can last as long as 24 hours. Females give birth with their hindquarters raised and their tails curled. For the time the young is in the pouch, a female rests on her sides. After the young have left the pouch, females stay in nests that they have built. For their first 50–60 days of life, the young can’t see, so they rely on vocalizations and touch to find their mother or siblings. It stops when their eyes open after 70 days. Young are not carried on the back but they do rest on their mother and cling to her when frightened. Young become more independent of their mothers - and the mothers more aggressive towards the young - by 100 days.