New Guinea quoll

Description

The New Guinea quoll ( Dasyurus albopunctatus Schlegel,1880 ),also known as the New Guinea marsupial cat,is a carnivorous marsupial mammal native to New Guinea.It is the second largest species of marsupial carnivore on the island.The males have a head-body length of 12.3-31 cm,a tail of 21-29 cm and a weight of 0.6-0.7 kg,while the females have a head-body length of 24-27,5 cm,a tail of 22-28 cm and a weight of 0.5 kg.The coat,reddish brown in color,is covered on the dorsal part of white spots;they,however,are not present on the tail,covered only by a thin hair.In the general aspect,it recalls a possum similar to a cat;in fact,the quolls are also called "indigenous cats" and sometimes "marsupial cats" or "tiger cats".The plantar bearings have transverse grooves,presumably useful for making better grip on the trees,since the species has mainly arboreal habits.