Overview

• Photographer Ben Alldridge achieved the first-ever capture of a wild eastern quoll glowing under ultraviolet light.
• The image is one of 12 finalists in the 2025 Beaker Street Science Photography Prize and will be exhibited at the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery from August 6 to 31.
• Biofluorescence in the quoll’s fur occurs when it absorbs UV light and re-emits visible colors, a phenomenon previously noted only in other marsupials like Tasmanian devils and wombats.
• Scientists are exploring whether the glow serves as communication, camouflage or mating signals for nocturnal species in low-light environments.
• Alldridge is extending his research into the effects of light pollution and habitat degradation on nocturnal marsupials after dark.