A rare Australian marsupial is being genetically modified to save it from extinction. Here’s how

Scientists say they are close to being able to genetically modify a rare Australian mammal to save it from going extinct as a result of the presence of the non-native cane toad.

The northern quoll, a small carnivorous marsupial weighing up to about 1kg and belonging to the same family as the Tasmanian devil, has suffered huge population declines and range decreases as a result of habitat loss and the impact of a whole range of introduced species.

But the cane toad, native to South and Central America and brought to Australia in the 1930s to deal with a sugar cane pest, is perhaps the quoll’s ultimate nemesis. Along with other members of the Bufonidae family, including the European common toad, cane toads possess a neurotoxin to which no Australian species has resistance because they evolved on a continent entirely free from this group of amphibians.

As a result, many species – not just northern quolls but native reptiles such as goannas and tiger snakes – frequently die when they predate on the toads, which are large and slow-moving animals, making them easy meals.

To Learn More Click Here