Quoll
Discovered: 1770
Location: Australia, Tasmania, & New Guinea
The Quoll is thought to be an adorable species on the surface by those who see them. It is hard to disagree, but they are a lot like their cousin, the Tasmanian Devil. Of course, this is a carnivorous marsupial, one of the few still living today. While the ancestor to the species was a good bit larger 15 million years ago, as with most species that survived this long, the quoll ended up being smaller. Today, they do still vary in size but they are still quite small. They can weigh between 11 ounces to 15 pounds, which is quite a separation in size.
The species is nocturnal and relatively solitary. Yet mating does take place in the wild during winter periods. Females usually have nearly 20 pups but sadly the mother only has six teats to feed her young and those are the ones that tend to survive. When Europeans began to colonize Australia, the quoll began to decline in number. It could be due to competition in food or simply being killed off by hunters. In fact, the eastern quoll is extinct in mainland Australia today. Overall, the quoll is one of the most unique animals roaming the Australian region. Sadly, they are declining heavily in number so breeding programs have been put in place to secure their survival.