Its fur colour varied from black through brown to yellow with a greyish-white belly.

It was a strictly nocturnal animal which led a solitary lifestyle.

[5] The last known specimen of this species was a female collected in August 1889 in New South Wales.

[2] The cause of its extinction remains uncertain, as it died out before intensive agriculture was introduced throughout its distribution and before the red fox became common in its habitat.

Several causes of its extinction have been suggested, including trampling of its grassland habitat by cattle and sheep,[1] changed burning regimes, or predation by introduced cats.