At first glance, eastern quolls seem like ordinary marsupials. Native to Tasmania, Australia, they’re the size of house cats and have brownish gray or black coats with white spots.
Ben Alldridge
But behind eastern quolls’ unassuming appearances, they’re hiding a secret: Their fur glows.
Ben Alldridge
Eastern quolls exhibit a fascinating trait called biofluorescence. As the Australian Museum explains on Facebook, “Biofluorescence is when certain chemicals on the surface of an organism, like proteins, absorb light and re-emit it as visible color, often in vivid colors.”
Biofluorescence is invisible to the naked human eye and can only be seen with the help of a UV light.
“Animals can naturally perceive that if they have that sort of light spectrum in their eyes,” photographer Ben Alldridge told The Dodo. “Technically, it’s always going on, but simply because our eyes aren’t designed for it, we can’t specifically see it in isolation.”
Ben Alldridge
Last year, Alldridge was on a camping trip in a remote area of Southwest Tasmania when out of nowhere, a family of eastern quolls appeared. Alldridge held his breath as the small animals got closer and closer to him.
Alldridge has been studying biofluorescence for years, so he happened to have his specialized UV strobe flashlight with him. After testing his UV light on the animals to make sure it didn’t bother them, he began taking pictures. As a wildlife photographer, it’s incredibly important to ensure you’re not disturbing the animals you’re photographing.
When Alldridge saw the images he’d captured, he was blown away.
Ben Alldridge
“You wouldn’t actually expect this sort of gray fur to glow this interesting golden sort of peachy color with really intense reds,” Alldridge said.
Alldridge had previously captured images of eastern quolls’ biofluorescence at Bonorong Wildlife Sanctuary, but it felt extra special to get to photograph them in the wild.
“I believe this is the first fluorescence documented in the species in a wild setting, or at the very least would be amongst the clearest imagery,” Alldridge wrote on Instagram.
Ben Alldridge
Biofluorescence is not exclusive to eastern quolls and has actually been observed in many organisms. But because it’s invisible to humans, the phenomenon has barely been studied. In fact, we still have no idea why it happens. It could be protective or have to do with communication or mating rituals — but much more research is needed to know for sure.
Ben Alldridge
Unfortunately, eastern quolls are endangered. Due to climate change, habitat loss and car accidents, their numbers have greatly dwindled.
Alldridge hopes that the photos he’s captured will inspire more eastern quoll conservation efforts. Already, his incredible images have sparked curiosity about the unique animals and biofluorescence in general.
To learn more about eastern quolls, you can check out Alldridge’s web page about them. To keep up with Alldridge’s photography work, you can follow him on Instagram.
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