When it comes to cute animals, no one can beat this cheeky-faced creature that literally seems to have sprung from the mind of a children's film animator. It is the quokka, the happiest animal in the world, a marsupial native to a small corner of southwestern Australia.
When it comes to cute animals, no one can beat this cheeky-faced creature that literally seems to have sprung from the mind of a children's film animator. And the quokka, the happiest animal in the world, a marsupial native to a small corner of southwestern Australia.
With the size similar to that of a cat, the quokka lives almost exclusively on Rottnest Island. She looks a bit like a little kangaroo, even if he looks much nicer because of his funny expressions. It does not pose a threat to humans at all, far from it: it is very sociable and friendly.
It has thick, fluffy gray-brown fur, small fluffy rounded ears, a 24-31cm long tail, and shorter hind limbs than other marsupial species. It is herbivorous and eats the leaves, stems and bark of a wide variety of native plants. Very active at night, he prefers to rest during the day.
The once very large quokka population has now drastically shrunk, such as also explains the Perth Zoo. The fault would be attributable above all to thearrival of the dingo, about 3.500 years ago, and of the fox, at the end of the 1800s, brought by Europeans.
However, there are signs of recovery thanks to the conservation plans of the species put in place by the Department of the Environment of Australia. The animal is currently listed as "vulnerable," according to the IUCN's Red List of Endangered Species.
Roberta Ragni
Photo Credit
Cute Overload, RedBubble, Panoramio
READ also:
- Three orphaned marsupial cubs become inseparable friends
