Why Are Quokkas So Darn Friendly and Photogenic?

If you’ve never heard of a quokka, you’ve been missing out! These little critters would win any animal popularity contest hands-down. They would even give puppies a run for their money. Marsupials native to Western Australia , quokkas have tourists flocking to Rottnest Island off the coast of Perth. What makes them so adorable? Their perpetual smiles and their curiosity and friendliness toward people. But are they actually happy, or just putting on a happy face?

Fast Facts About Quokkas

• “Quokka” is the aboriginal name for the species Setonix brachyurus . It is a the smallest type of wallaby.
• Quokkas live on two islands off the west coast of Australia: Rottnest Island and Bald Island, and in a few sites around Perth on the mainland.
• “Rottnest Island” means “Rat’s Nest Island.” It was named by a Dutch explorer in 1696 who thought quokkas were giant rats. Unfortunately, Australians have not adopted the more complimentary aboriginal name for the island: “Wadjemup” (“place across the water where the spirits are”).
• Quokkas look like round-faced kangaroos about the size of a house cat, and they move by hopping like kangaroos. Unlike kangaroos, they can climb trees up to about 6 feet to get food.
• They are herbivorous, but their food supply is erratic. They store fat in their tails so they can go months without water and with little food.
• They are not territorial and don’t fight with each other, but will use their teeth and claws if they feel threatened.

How Quokkas Act Around People

Quokkas have few natural predators, so they are not afraid of people. About 300 people live on Rottnest Island but over 500,000 visitors go there every year. Quokkas wander into restaurants and stores and have to be shooed back out. Sometimes, a quokka will take a special interest in someone and follow them around for a while. They are naturally curious and will happily pose for once-in-a-lifetime selfies with tourists. The best times for tourists to encounter them are in the early mornings and early evenings near human settlements, waiting for the quokkas to come to them rather than chasing them. It’s forbidden by law to touch them or feed them. Human food will disrupt their diet and cause them to become malnourished.

Why Do Quokkas Smile?

Quokkas go around with a perpetual grin that makes them oh-so adorable. In fact, they’ve been called “the world’s happiest animals.” But the reason for that expression is practical: their muscles lift their lips that way just to help them eat plants better. So, are quokkas actually happy? Well, they are curious, they don’t fight, they like to play with one another, and they don’t have many natural predators, so that would seem like a happy kind of life. On the other hand, they are vulnerable species subject to starvation during dry spells and predators and habitat loss on the mainland. So, they may put on a brave face, but they live with tragic circumstances as all creatures do.

Quokka Conservation

The conservation status of this species is “vulnerable.” There are about 10,000 quokkas left on Rottnest Island and only a few thousand on Bald Island and in small groups on the mainland around Perth. The islands go through periodic dry spells that can cause die-offs from starvation. This problem is becoming worse as the climate changes. On the islands their only predators are snakes. On the mainland, they are also threatened by dogs, cats, foxes, and other carnivores, as well as habitat loss and brush fires. Conservation groups like the World Wildlife Fund are working to protect them by tracking and studying them, preserving their habitats, and reducing the number of predators decimating their population.

Can You Have a Pet Quokka?

Of course, all it takes is one glance at a quokka photo to realize you NEED ONE of your very own. But as they say, if you love something, let it go. It is illegal to have a quokka as a pet in Australia or export them for the pet trade. In the United States, only zoos and research institutions are allowed to import specimens after getting the necessary permits and maintaining high standards of care for them.

To keep you from being too disappointed, think about the trouble this sort of wild animal can be, cute though it is. Some people have kept other kinds of wallabies as pets and it’s not at all recommended. They can’t be housebroken, they jump and break things, they can pass disease back and forth with cats, they messily regurgitate their food and re-chew it, you have to have more than one because they are social animals, and they need the graze outdoors in a yard with a high fence to keep them in and predators out. These are the sorts of problems for a zoo to deal with, not someone who just wants a happy-looking pet.

Adopt-A-Quokka

There’s a great alternative to keeping a quokka captive in your home. You can “adopt” one virtually through the Rottnest Foundation so that your support will help it continue to live on its home island with its friends. You’ll also get a stuff quokka and some other cool swag to remind you of your little sponsored buddy. This is a great way to make sure these inquisitive, personable animals will be around to bring a smile to many generations to come.

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