Shock find in hunt for rare species

A rare and elusive marsupial found in the region’s mountains, inhabits much more of FNQ than previously thought, a decade-long citizen science project has revealed.

The conclusion of a long-term citizen science initiative, funded by a Queensland Government grant, has discovered a larger number of spotted tail quolls in the Wet Tropics World Heritage Area than previously thought. President of Australian Quoll Conservancy Alberto Vale installs a quoll feeding station and a motion camera in a forest near Cairns. Picture: Brendan Radke

A critically endangered marsupial believed to be confined to just six Far North mountains has been discovered well outside known strongholds and provides a glimmer of hope for the species.

Citizen science data collected by the Australian Quoll Conservancy have found spotted-tail quolls in low-altitude rainforests throughout Wooroonooran National Park.

The Ferocious but rarely seen northern sub species are roughly the size of a cat and were thought to only inhabit rainforest mountaintops across the Wet Tropics.

A spotted tail quoll captured in Wooroonooran national park. Picture: Alberto Vale.

AQC president Alberto Vale said the significant discovery painted a hopeful picture for the species.

“This species has always been earmarked a high-elevation species, particularly anywhere between 900 metres to 1200 metres,” Mr Vale said.

“And we discovered that this species is actually breeding for the past four years now in Far North Queensland, below 500 metres altitude.”

The research, expected to be finalised in September and form part of a documentary to be released in October, discovered 42 individuals and multiple multiple breeding pairs in low lying areas of Wooroonooran National Park at altitudes where quolls had never been before.

Like a fingerprint, he said each animals spots were unique.

“I invented and developed a non-invasive method of luring the animals to a canister,” he said.

“They basically lift themselves or stand upright, the camera photographs the underside.

“The patterns on the spots on their body is like our fingerprints, so we can determine not only their sex but we can start making an ID.”

Alberto Vale's uniquely designed canister makes quoll reach up to retreive food exposing their pouch and any young they may have inside. Picture: Alberto Vale.

The introduction of cane toads, cats and dogs as well as widespread deforestation across northern Queensland is thought to have greatly reduced quoll numbers.

In 2023, researchers from James Cook University and the University of the Sunshine Coast estimated the species had shrunk from about 500 in 1998 to just 221 individuals 25 years later, with scientists concluding the subspecies species was “critically endangered”.

Mr vale did not dispute the species status, but thought it was possible similarly unknown populations existed in other low lying areas of the Wet Tropics.

He believed citizen scientists were the key to finding out.

“I’m not academic, my volunteers are not academic, but that’s why citizen science exists, because we’ve got the time and the effort,” he said.

“We are not visitors to the area, we reside up here, we actually look after the interests of this species.

“That’s what citizen science is all about, it’s about allowing people that have got passion for wildlife to do the research.”

Originally published as Shock find in hunt for rare species