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Chuditch
Dasyurus geoffroii

 

Known as the native cat, the chudditch was almost blasted out of existence by early settlers because of their nightly visits to hen houses.    Then foxes and disease took over, and their habitat was reduced, and now the chuditch is regarded as endangered. When one turned up near Margaret River recently the news made the local newspaper.
   Fox baiting programs are having a positive effect on native wildlife.
   The chuditch is carnivorous and nocturnal. Males grow to about 60cm long and the females a little shorter.
   They are swift runners and cover a big territory in search of food.
   Found in the south-west and occasionally seen around forest camp areas.

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Information from Mammals of the South-West by Brent Johnson Brown and Carolyn Thomson. Published by the Department of Conservation and Land Management.