For almost a year, PhD candidate Ryan Sauermann from the University of Melbourne has set up more than 30 wildlife‑camera traps across Litchfield National Park. After more than 4,000 nights of filming, none have recorded a northern quoll.

Senior park ranger Darius Nasir, who used to spot the nocturnal quoll almost every night, says his last sighting was four or five years ago. He notes that the species was once abundant in the area.

Sauermann and the rangers identify three main threats. The invasive cane toad is spreading rapidly; Sauermann estimates the toad front is causing an 85‑95 % loss of quoll populations. Feral cats also prey on quolls, and more frequent burns from changing fire management further reduce their habitat.

The northern quoll is listed as “endangered” nationally and “critically endangered” in the Northern Territory. The combined pressure of toads, cats and fire means the local population may already be extinct.

If quolls disappear from Litchfield, the park loses a key nocturnal predator, and the decline highlights the broader challenges of invasive species and fire policy for wildlife across Australia’s Top End.