Among the animals that are most curious about their appearance or behavior we find the quokka. It is a very adorable animal that has surprised everyone because it has a nice smile. And it is that there is considered one of the happiest animals in the world. They are in Australia and have been all the rage on social media for the past few years. There are many people who travel Australia and know these animals only to take photos with them.
In this article we are going to tell you everything you need to know about the quokka and why it is the happiest animal in the world.
The happiest animal in the world
These animals are native to Australia. They usually live in certain areas, especially in the western part of the continent. Most of its abundance are found on Rottnest Island and Bald Island. At first the first discoverers called this area as a rat's nest. This is because the first times they encountered these animals they seemed to them as if they were giant rats. This whole area of Australia has gained fame and make tourists come every year to see these animals.
Quokka are the target of numerous selfies since they have a smile that accesses them very happy. There are many photos of these animals that are traveling on all social networks and arouses people's curiosity.
Key features
They are animals that live for approximately 10 years in the wild. They have a herbivorous diet and have a nocturnal behavior. Although they can be seen somewhat active during the day, most of the activity is at night. They get much of their water thanks to the fact that they ingest it from the leaves they eat. In addition, they have a special characteristic and that is that they can go for a long time without eating or drinking.
All these characteristics have made it an animal with a great capacity to adapt to different environments. You have to know that they are marsupial animals like kangaroos. It has a pouch known by the name of a pouch in which the young can grow after they are born. During the first 6 months they develop suckling from the mother.
Since they are also marsupials, it must be taken into account that they have legs and a very long tail with great power. They use these limbs to be able to move with great speed through agile jumps. They are more or less of an average size very similar to that of a domestic cat. They are usually between 40 and 90 centimeters long and weigh between 2.5 and 5 kg. The most normal thing is that the fur is brown and it disappears on the legs and tail. The fact that they do not have hair on either the legs or the tail is the result of evolution. It is because they do not need to move at high speeds.
Quokka behavior
As expected, the behavior of the quokka is one of the elements that most intrigues all those who want to go see it. And it is that seeing how they look like a happy animal you think about what the reason for this may be. It's known that They are not dangerous animals at all and their character is quite curious. Unlike many animals, the quokka is quite easy to see approaching people when they find it. They can be very friendly as long as they don't feel threatened.
Being really social animals they are also very curious, active and playful. They will love to enjoy with the people who were going to play with them. There is another physical feature that stands out apart from those we have already discussed. It is this physical trait that is responsible for this animal being considered the happiest in the world. It's about your smile. Surely many times you have seen photos of dogs or data that seem to laugh at how happy they are. In this case, these animals have a narrow snout and large cheeks. This mixed with his friendly character makes it seem an expression of happiness and laughter on numerous occasions.
Because of these unique characteristics, the quokka is said to be the happiest animal in the world since 2013. They are different traits from other animals and have a special behavior. In fact, there are numerous images on the networks in which you can see how they easily interact with the people with whom they approached and show this expression of happiness.
The endangered quokka
Although it is an animal that is too popular and widespread on social networks, it has great vulnerability to reducing its populations. It is because of this popularity that it has obtained in recent years that it has been decided to include it in the red list of endangered species. And it has a tendency for its populations to continue to decline.
This is one of the reasons why it is increasingly known that most species are in danger of extinction from humans. There are many tourists who are dedicated to looking for them to take pictures with them and feed them. This occurs because it is very easy for them to approach and accept various varieties of plant foods. This activity on our part is negatively affecting this species as various problems occur. The first one is a fundamental change in diet. This change will create difficulties for the animal to feed as it did before.
There are also human-derived problems such as various accidents and captures of individuals to sell them illegally. There are people who want to keep them in private zoos and as pets. This is all wrong. The quokka is an animal that is not domesticated and its needs cannot be met in a house or in any part of the world that is not its natural ecosystem.
Currently, fines of between 300 and 2.000 Australian dollars are being imposed for all those who pick up, take or seize any of these vulnerable specimens. It is best not to feed or touch or pick them up. If you want to take a photo with them, it will have to be without getting to take him or give him our food. It's as easy as that.
I hope that with this information you can learn more about quokka.