Quokka... what?

The Quokka (Setonix brachyurus) is a herbivorous house-cat sized marsupial that lives on smaller islands off the coast of Western Australia. Quokka’s diet mainly consists of tree and shrub buds, leaves, grasses, succulents, seeds, and roots, as they drink very little amounts of water. However, they are known to also eat small animals such as snails and legless lizards.

The Quokka has had a 50% decline in population since the 1930’s. Foxes, feral cats, and habitat loss are many reasons for the Quokka’s declining population. As of now, there are around 20,000 Quokka’s left in the world. Quokka’s produce no more than two offspring per year. Unfortunately, when a Quokka mother is confronted with a predator, the mother will throw the child at the predator to eat while she gets away.

The Quokka lives by dense stream sides and swamps, mainly on the Rottnest island, although they have been spotted on other islands too, such as Bald Island, near Albany. The Quokka gained popularity in the media a few years ago, after people started taking selfies with them. The Quokka has then been nicknamed “The happiest animal in the world” due to its constant smiling appearance. Although the Quokka is still high in numbers on Rottnest Island, many Quokkas die every summer from lack of water. Nowadays, the Quokkas habitat is only a portion of what it used to be.