New Delhi: There are several contenders for the title of ‘the happiest animal on Earth’, but the crown goes to quokka, widely hailed as the animal which remains the most joyous. The reason it is known as the happiest animal is due to its smile. The animal is small and cute and it can make anyone go ‘awww’ with its adorableness. In this article, we will take a look at the planet’s happiest animal, including its habitat and diet.
What is a quokka?
The quokka is a small macropod with its size similar to that of a domestic cat. It is the only member of the genus Setonix and its known for its extreme cuteness. The quokka’s big smile is its most iconic feature, along with brown fur, and big eyes. Its small size and rounded features give the quokka a playful and innocent appearance that is hard not to love.
The small and fuzzy animals hail from southwestern Australia and the distinctive shape of their mouth give them the appearance of a grin which is ever-present. A quokka weighs 2.5 to 5 kg and is 16 inches to 21 inches long. Its build is stocky with rounded ears, well developed hind legs, and a short, broad head. Also, it can climb small trees and shrubs.
Where can you find the quokkas?
Today, majority of the quokka population lives in the popular tourist spot of Rottnest Island, which is located in western Australia off the coast of Perth. In a way, the island even got its name due to the quokka. In the 17th century, when the Dutch colonizers first landed on the island, the mistook the quokka for a rat and named the island “Rotte nest,” which means “rat’s nest” in Dutch.
What do quokkas eat?
The quokkas prefer to love in places with more vegetation to get a wider variety of food and also to protect themselves from predators like red foxes, dingoes, and feral cats. There are no such predators on the Rottnest Island and. They mainly eat varities of vegetation, including grasses, leaves and sedges. A study found that Guichenotia ledifolia is an especially favourite food of the quokkas.
How friendly are the quokkas?
The quokkas generally do not fear humans and commonly approach people closely, particularly on Rottnest Island. The status of being the planet’s happiest animals has made them social media stars. People go to Rottnest to take pictures with quokkas. However, quokkas are also known to bite people, but it has not deterred visitors from going to the island and click a selfie with the adorable creatures. It has increased tourism to the island which has reinvested these funds in research for the conservation of these animals.
Are quokkas threatened?
Yes, the quokkas are threatened animals. Due to the destruction of their habitat, climate change and invasive predators, quokkas are listed as Vulnerable to extinction under Australia’s national environment law. With climate change impacting their habitat and food source, the quokka are listed as vulnerable on the IUCN Red List of threatened species.
Quokkas, famed for their perpetually smiling faces, are small marsupials native to southwestern Australia. Primarily found on Rottnest Island, their diet consists of vegetation. While known for their friendly demeanor and popularity on social media, quokkas are a vulnerable species threatened by habitat loss, climate change, and introduced predators. knowledge Knowledge News, Photos and Videos on General Knowledge
