Flagfur Quoll
The species was only discovered in Kindal of 20017 through trail cam footage in southeast Asia. In 20021, a live individual was captured in Australia while raiding a farmer's chicken coop by way of a cage trap, thought to have been a young dingo, fox, or perhaps a feral dog. This individual, named Kanai, was discovered to have two offspring in her pouch, the likely cause of her raiding chicken coops for food. Kanai was relocated to the Sydney Zoo for further study, and plans are to capture more individuals from the wild in order to get a better understanding of the species. Kanai's offspring, named Hamal and Brenda, are planned to be released back into the wild in 20025.
As a newly discovered species, precious little is known about their ecology or behavior. Due to their recent discovery, the species is placed under special protected status in Australia forbidding their hunting, trade, or live capture outside of scientific study. Currently, Asian countries have signed onto the Flagfur Act in conjunction with Australia to prevent the export of the species. Despite this, in 20021, four individuals were found in an illegal pet market in Queensland, labeled as Tasmanian Devils. The owner of the market has since made claims that the animals were brought to her under the label of Lorises, and she was unaware of their status. Further investigations to the pet trade are pending, and it is unknown if any individuals are currently held in captivity as exotic pets.
Basic Information
Anatomy
The flagfur quoll, or simply 'flagfur' as they are often called, is a relatively large marsupial mammal from Australia and southern Asia. The animals are arboreal, spending the majority of their lives in trees, aided by their double jointed paws, flexible spines, long claws, and highly mobile 'thumb' toes. With extraordinarily long tails that have some prehensile capabilities, flagfurs can occasionally grasp branches and tree trunks for some aided stability. A tuft of extra long fur on the end of their tails is thought to be used in communication between other members of its species, perhaps to warn of danger from predatory birds. Other theories for its use are thought to be for extra warmth at night, as bait for birds or lizards, or for slowing the animal's fall when leaping from tree to tree.
Due to their large eyes and ears, it is thought that the species is primarily nocturnal, aided by trail cam footage most prominently capturing footage of the species at late hours of the night. As a nocturnal predator, flagfurs are thought to primarily hunt insects and sleeping birds.
Males of the species are noted to have significantly larger muzzles than females, that are often bright white in color. Their signifigance in breeding behavior is unknown, but it is speculated that this is to make the head appear larger, making the male look more threatening to rivals.
Genetics and Reproduction
Very little is known about the flagfur's reproductive habits due to their recent discovery. What is known is that the species, thanks to genetic analysis, is very likely a descendant of the spotted quoll, and likely reproduces in similar manners.
As with all marsupials, offspring are born comparatively immature to other mammals, and reside in their mother's pouch until they have grown significantly, and move onto her back for the duration of their juvenile stage. No flagfur has ever been captured or recorded with more than 3 offspring at once, suggesting that they may have quite small litters. While more study is needed, it is suggested that flagfurs mature around 3-4 years of age, and likely disperse from their mother prior to this in search of their own mates.
Ecology and Habitats
Discovered in southeast Asia, the species inhabits dense jungle and rainforest throughout the region into northern Australia, with some pockets living in eucalyptus forests in the latter. It is thought that they originated in Australia, and moved north through forests and jungle, becoming an active nocturnal predator in their environment.
Dietary Needs and Habits
The species has been recorded as preying primarily on birds, small mammals, smaller marsupials, and occasionally on monkeys and lemurs. It is thought that the majority of their diet comes from birds, be it the birds themselves or their eggs, as captured specimens are adept at breaking open bird eggs and drinking them with zero instruction from keepers. Other prey items are thought to be large insects, lizards, small snakes, tree frogs, and the occasional fruit or nut if available.
In particular, the species has been noted as favoring domestic chickens in areas where humanoid habitation overlaps with their range, quickly learning to ambush chickens through vents and openings in their coops at night, when the birds are asleep. Tales of the flagfur being pests to domestic animals have long existed, even prior to their discovery.
Behaviour
Flagfur quolls are incredibly skittish animals and known to be quite intelligent. Able to make and execute plans in advance, they will plan areas to ambush prey from or learn their habits such as areas potential prey comes to rest. This can be troublesome for areas in which the quolls have begun to prey upon livestock or pets, as once they have become adjusted to hunting in a particular area, it is incredibly hard to dissuade them. Their skittish nature, however, has the species rarely interacting with people willingly and the presence of people is often enough to make them flee an area temporarily.
Due to this, farmers have begun to use scarecrows or mannequins shaped like people in order to scare off flagfurs around chicken coops or areas their pets are outside. It is highly recommended by Australian wildlife authorities not to chase or confront quolls on one's own, as when cornered, they will attack in self defense, especially pregnant females or females with young. Bites can be especially painful and those that have had to attack a person are much more prone to doing so in the future due to their mistrust.
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