“[T]his is the first fluorescence documented in the species in a wild setting.”
The Secret Glow of Eastern Quolls — And Why It Matters
At first glance, eastern quolls might look like ordinary marsupials — about the size of a house cat, with spotted coats in shades of brown or black. But under ultraviolet (UV) light, these small Tasmanian natives reveal a stunning secret: their fur glows.
This rare phenomenon, called biofluorescence, occurs when proteins or chemicals on an organism’s surface absorb UV light and re-emit it as visible color — often in vivid hues like green, blue, or orange. Humans can’t see this naturally, but with a UV light, the results are spectacular.
Last year, photographer and biofluorescence researcher Ben Alldridge captured what might be the most striking wild images of eastern quolls glowing under UV light. While camping in southwest Tasmania, he spotted a group of quolls and carefully used his UV strobe flashlight to illuminate them — ensuring it didn’t disturb the animals.
What he saw amazed him: the quolls’ gray fur shimmered in golden, peachy, and reddish tones, unlike anything the naked eye could detect. Though he had previously seen similar effects in animals at Bonorong Wildlife Sanctuary, photographing wild quolls glowing in their natural habitat was something else entirely.
Alldridge believes his images may be the first and clearest wild documentation of this kind of biofluorescence in eastern quolls.
While many animals exhibit biofluorescence — from sea creatures to flying squirrels — scientists still don’t know why. Theories suggest it might help with camouflage, communication, or mating, but the field is still vastly under-researched.
And there’s an urgency to studying quolls: they’re endangered, with populations threatened by habitat loss, climate change, and car collisions.
Alldridge hopes his images will shine a light — literally — on these rare marsupials and raise awareness for their conservation.
“They’re already remarkable animals,” he said. “But when you realize they glow, it adds this hidden, magical dimension to their existence. And that’s worth protecting.”