Chuditch or Western Quoll: Morphology

Dasyurus goeffroii

Skull and Teeth

A relatively long skull with a bluntly pointed snout and strong jaws fits the animal for its predatory behaviour. They have sharp incisors and pronounced canines, the lower ones of which fit into sockets on the upper jaw when at rest.

Teeth formula: I 4/4; C 1/1; PM 2/2; M 4/4.

Body Shape and Size

Animals have a long tail and characteristic brown fur with white spots (except on the tail and underneath). Body length without tail (males) up to about 36cms; females are smaller. Except for the longer face, animals have some resemblance in size and shape to the domestic cat, hence the name by early settlers of “spotted native cat”.

Comparison with other animals

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