The quokka is a animal with an apparent permanent smile in his expression. Today we are going to get to know him better.
This adorable marsupial is in danger of extinction and is considered the happiest animal in the world.
What is the quokka?
the quokka is considered the happiest animal in the world because of the shape of its mouth, which gives the appearance of a permanent smile.
It is the only animal genus Setonix and belongs to the macropod family, just like kangaroos and wallabies. To learn more about this family of marsupials, you can visit the article on the kangaroo.
Macropods are a family of marsupial mammals. Almost all are terrestrial and move by jumping when running. they are very events to be a marsupial.
It's inside the IUCN red list being in danger of extinction.
Name
The most accepted version is that the name «Quokka" derives from the word "gwaga", word of an Australian aboriginal people: the Noongar.
This townToday they call these animals: ban-gup, bungeup or quak-a.
Physical characteristics
Its size can resemble that of a cat, measuring between 40-54 cm and weighing between 2 and 5 kg. The tail is between 25 and 30 cm long, which is not much for a macropod.
The quokka's hind legs are very well developed, which is due to the way they move. We could say that they are like little kangaroos, only the quokka know and they can climb bushes and trees not very tall.
His fur is greyish-brown color which can sometimes tend to beige. Its ears are rounded and set on a short, broad head.
Diet
The quokka is a herbivore, feeds on different types of vegetation, for example leaves, grass or rushes, which they chew into a cud similar to how cows do.
These animals they need a large amount of water, which they mainly consume through vegetation that they ingest This is part of the reason that it is completely forbidden to feed them in places where they can be seen, such as Rottnest Island. Giving them human food causes dehydration and a significant lack of the nutrients they need to live.
quokka habitat
We can find quokkas mainly in the small islands off the western Australian coast, especially on Rottnest Island. In 1658 a Dutch explorer who came to this island (at that time known as Wadjemup Island) mistook the quokkas for giant rats and therefore renamed the island "rat's nest island" which would come to be in Dutch: ´t Eylandt ´t Rottenest.
This island is home to the largest group of quokkas that exists today, but they can also be found on an island near Albany. On many occasions they choose the forests of eucalyptus and blood sticks to rest.
La Quokka population that exists has been drastically declining since 1930. By the 1990s it had reduced its presence so much that less than half of the individuals it had previously recorded remained. In 2007 between 8000 and 12000 were counted on Rottnest Island where they are most abundant. This decline has continued, and today only small groups of quokkas can be found.
How do quokkas live?
Quokka are animals of nocturnal habits and therefore sleep during the day. For their sleeping hours, they seek out a specific plant: Acanthocarpus preissii. This evergreen plant, native to Australia, can grow up to one meter tall and has stiff, pointed leaves that resemble pine or spruce needles. Quokkas they use the leaves of the canthocarpus presissii to hide and protect themselves while they sleep.
Quokkas find their main predator in snakes. When the Europeans arrived in Australia, they brought with them some species that are also predators of the quokkas, for this reason they withdrew from the most open places to the islands where they are more protected.
With people it is easy for them to try to socialize and get closer. However, cases of quokka bites are also reported every year, especially in children.
reproduction and breeding
The mating system is with different individuals at the same time. Once the female is pregnant, She will gestate for a month and give birth to a single calf..
Just like kangaroos the pups will be in the bag for a long time, specifically 6 months. Once they come out of the bag, the pups are dependent on their mother and will be lactating for two more months. From 8 months after her birth, she stops depending on the mother and at 18 months the sexual awakening begins.
each female quokka can have about 17 pups.
When a female that is rearing her young in the pouch is pursued by a predator, she may leave drop the young to the ground where the noises it makes serve to attract the predator's attention so that the mother can escape of the attack.