Ever heard of a Quokka?  It’s been called the most cheerful animal on the planet due to their perpetual smiles!  Read on for more fascinating facts!!

What does the quokka look like?

Quokkas are small, four-legged animals covered in fur. They’re from the kangaroo family and have pouches in their abdomens for carrying their young. Though they’re much tinier than kangaroos; the quokka is around the size of a domestic housecat. They have narrow faces, round ears, big noses, and tiny paws. Their tails are short and skinny. They’re almost always a shade of brown. One of the most distinctive features of the quokka is their smile. Known as “the world’s most cheerful animal,” quokkas have a perpetually happy expression on their face. It can range from a tiny smile to a toothy grin, but it’s always there, and it’s always the absolute cutest.

How do you pronounce “quokka?”

It depends on where you live. North Americans usually pronounce it koo-WOH-kuh, but native Australians favor kah-WAH-kah.

How big is a quokka?

Quokkas are the size of domesticated cats. Their bodies measure between 16 – 21 inches long, and their tails are usually 9 – 12 inches long.

How much does a quokka weigh?

Male quokkas usually weigh about 5 – 10 pounds. Females are slightly smaller at 3 – 8 pounds.

Can quokkas climb trees?

Quokkas love to climb trees! They can ascend as high as 4 – 6 feet, which is pretty good for their size. It’s like a housecat climbing to the top portion of a door.

Are quokkas friendly or aggressive?

Quokkas are friendly and approachable creatures. They’re used to tourists, so they have little fear of human contact, and they’ll hop right up to people who are marveling at them. This is how visitors to Rottnest Island are able to pose for so many “quokka selfies.” That said, quokkas can have a bit of amean streak to them. They aren’t afraid to bite when they’re feeling threatened. And they have powerful hind legs that can be used for kicking just as easily as hopping. They don’t like to be handled, either, and the Australian government has strict rules about this, so trying to pet a quokka might result in injuries and fines. To put it another way, quokkas might be friendly, but they’re not domesticated. They’re still wild animals.

Why do quokkas smile?

They’re famous for their chubby-cheeked grins, but why do quokkas actually beam?

The simple answer is that we don’t know. There’s nothing about their mouth or jaw structure that necessitates smiling.

Most experts agree that it’s just a quirk of the species. Like dolphins, quokkas simply have a natural smile. Some other animals with natural smiles include mata mata turtles and axolotls.

Is the quokka the happiest animal?

Quokkas are often called “the happiest animal on Earth” because of their big grins and friendly natures.  However, it’s important to remember that they’re still wild animals. They can bite, and they can get aggressive when fighting over mates or when they feel threatened. Males often form social hierarchies based on size and dominance. Females will even abandon their babies if the situation calls for it. The life of a quokka isn’t easy just because it’s smiling!

Some quokkas will even hang around stores, parks, campsites and youth hostels where people have been known to illegally feed them.

Why can’t you feed a quokka?

You shouldn’t feed a quokka for the same reason that you shouldn’t feed any wild animal. Their bodies aren’t used to artificial ingredients, and their diets can be completely disrupted with the introduction of foods and snacks that aren’t native to their environment. You can even cause physical damage to quokkas if you insist on feeding them. Marsupials are prone to something called lumpy jaw disease that can infect their bone cartilage and lead to pain, distress, starvation, and death. LJD can be caused by something as simple as sandwich bread sticking to their gums, so never feed a quokka!

Do quokkas bite?

Yes. Quokkas can and will bite when they’re feeling threatened, and they’ve been known to nip at the fingers of people who try to feed them.

What eats a quokka? Predators and Threats

Quokkas are vulnerable to cats, dogs, foxes, dingoes, and snakes. Their natural predators are birds of prey and dingoes, but the rest have been introduced to their environment over time.

When faced with a predator, the quokka’s first instinct is to run away. They can hop at high speeds for their size, and they can dive into burrows and scurry up branches to try and lose their pursuers. Moms have even been known to sacrifice their children as a distraction to escape. If they’re cornered, quokkas will fight tooth and nail for survival. They can bite with their teeth and scratch with their claws, and their powerful hind legs are good for kicking. It’s only their small size that dooms them. Compared to a dingo or even a dog, quokkas are no match for larger animals.

Are quokkas endangered?

Quokkas are listed as “vulnerable” by the Australian Department of Environment and Energy.

They aren’t quite endangered, but their population trends are decreasing.

How many quokkas are left in the world?

The IUCN estimates that there are between 7,500 – 15,000 mature adults in the wild. The vast majority is on Rottnest Island. There’s also a protected population on Bald Island, and there are a few scattered colonies on mainland Australia as well.

What threatens the quokka?

The biggest threat to quokkas is deforestation. Humans are tearing down trees to build cities; weather changes are having ripple effects on vegetation, erosion, and rainfall. In 2015, a wildfire in Western Australia decimated 90% of the local quokka population. Their numbers went from 500 to 39.

Another big threat to quokkas is humans. People just can’t resist trying to feed, pet, cuddle and capture them, and the smallest of sandwiches can have long-term consequences for their health. There have also been cases of animal cruelty towards quokkas. Since they’re such a prevalent part of life on Rottnest Island, people take liberties with them. One man was jailed when he threw a quokka off a boat to prove that it could swim.

Do quokkas live in groups? Are they sociable?

Yes and no. Quokkas live in colonies, but they don’t really socialize with one another. For example, they don’t groom or play together. They live solitary lives that just so happen to intersect for food and safety reasons.

What do quokkas eat?

Quokkas are herbivores that eat grasses, leaves, shrubs, and plants. One study has suggested that their favorite food is Guichenotia ledifolia, a type of white-purple flower.

Do quokkas mate for life?

There’s no evidence to suggest that quokkas mate for life, but they’ve been known to return to the same mates for several breeding cycles in a row, so they aren’t opposed to monogamy. It seems to be a matter of convenience more than anything. Remember: They’re solitary creatures that mostly live together for survival rather than any desire for companionship.

What sound does a quokka make?

Quokkas don’t make a lot of noise. They don’t have calls or songs to communicate with others of their kind, and they don’t growl when they’re threatened. They might make involuntary sounds of fear or panic when they’re distressed, but that’s about it.

Are quokkas nocturnal?

Quokkas are nocturnal.  Their natural instinct is to sleep during the day and forage at night. However, you’ll find plenty of quokkas that are active in the daylight hours. They know that they have better chances of being illegally fed by tourists if they hang around crowded places at high noon.

Where does the quokka live?

The quokka is native to Australia. Its biggest population is on Rottnest Island, but there are small groups on Bald Island and mainland Australia as well. These are the only places in the world where you can find wild quokkas.

What is the habitat of the quokka?

Quokkas live in trees, shrubs, swamps and other areas with dense vegetation. They don’t like the exposure of wide and open spaces. They prefer environments where they can hide from predators or take shelter from the elements when necessary.

How many babies do quokkas have?

Quokkas have one baby at a time. Since they’re a mammalian species, it’s a live birth, and the baby will require milk after it’s born.

What do you call a baby quokka?

Like kangaroos, baby quokkas are called “joeys.”

What are baby quokkas like?

They’re adorable! Baby quokkas are miniature versions of their parents, and they ride around in their mother’s pouch until they’re old enough to fend for themselves. It isn’t uncommon to see babies poking their tiny, fuzzy heads out of their pouches as their mom hops from location to location. As for their life cycle, a quokka female will give birth to a single baby after gestating it for about a month. Then she’ll nurse it and carry it around in her pouch for an additional six months. At six months, the joey will be encouraged to leave the safety of the pouch. It will start to wean itself off mom’s milk as it learns how to forage for food. At 10 – 12 months, the joey will be considered independent, and it won’t rely on mom at all anymore. It might stay close as part of a colony, but it will be a mature and solitary adult.

Do male quokkas play any part in child-rearing?

Male quokkas will defend their pregnant mate, but they don’t have anything to do with mom or baby after it’s born.

How often do quokkas reproduce?

Quokkas are known for their rapid reproduction rates. They mature quickly and can give birth twice per year, so in a 10-year lifespan, they might produce anywhere from 15 – 17 babies. They’re unbound by mating seasons, though it’s most common for quokkas to breed between the months of January – March.

Do quokkas really throw their babies?

Despite their sweet and friendly nature, quokkas have a survival instinct that’s pretty nasty: If a mother is being pursued by a predator, she’ll sacrifice her baby to save herself. She won’t actually throw it, but she’ll eject it from her pouch by relaxing her pouch muscles, causing the baby to drop out. The baby will flail on the ground and make noise that attracts the predator.

Where can I see a quokka?

If you want to see a quokka in the wild, book a trip to Rottnest Island. Quokkas are such an everyday part of life that they’re considered a nuisance by local shopkeepers! They run inside businesses looking to scavenge, and they distract customers, cause messes, dig into garbage and poop everywhere. They’re adorable little troublemakers. Outside of their native habitat, you can find quokkas in all kinds of Australian zoos, including the Perth Zoo, Adelaide Zoo, Sydney Zoo, and Melbourne Zoo.

The poinsettia is a well-known member of the spurge family (Euphorbiaceae), commonly sold as an ornamental at Christmas time.

It was named for Joel R. Poinsett, who popularized the plant and introduced it to floriculture while he was U.S. minister to Mexico in the late 1820s.

Poinsettia’s botanical name, Euphorbia pulcherrima, means “the most beautiful Euphorbia”.

The species is native to Central America, especially an area of southern Mexico known as ‘Taxco del Alarcon’ where they flower during the winter.

There are over 100 cultivated varieties of poinsettia.

In warm climates the poinsettia grows outdoors as a winter-flowering, leggy shrub about 10 feet high; as a potted plant in northern areas it rarely grows beyond 3.3 feet.

The plant bears dark green dentate leaves that measure from 2.8 to 6.3 in in length.

The colored bracts — which are most often flaming red but can be orange, pale green, cream, pink, white, or marbled — are often mistaken for flower petals because of their groupings and colors, but are actually leaves.

The flowers of the poinsettia are unassuming and do not attract pollinators. They are grouped within small yellow structures found in the center of each leaf bunch, and are called cyathia.

A milky latex in the stems and leaves can be irritating to persons or animals sensitive to it, but the claim that poinsettias are deadly poisonous is greatly exaggerated.

The colors of the bracts are created through photoperiodism, meaning that they require darkness (12 hours at a time for at least five days in a row) to change color. At the same time, the plants require abundant light during the day for the brightest color.

Brightly colored, though mostly red, Poinsettias provide effective color as home decor during and after the holiday season.

The shape of the poinsettia flower and leaves are sometimes thought as a symbol of the Star of Bethlehem which led the Wise Men to Jesus. The red colored leaves symbolize the blood of Christ. The white leaves represent His purity.

The ancient Aztecs prized the Poinsettia as a symbol of purity. They also used the plant to produce red dye and as an antipyretic medication. In Nahuatl, the language of the Aztecs, the plant is called Cuetlaxochitl, meaning “flower that grows in residues or soil”

From the 17th century, Franciscan friars in Mexico included the plants in their Christmas celebrations.

Today, the poinsettia is known in Mexico and Guatemala as Flor de Nochebuena, meaning Christmas Eve Flower.

The United States dedicated December 12 as National Poinsettia Day.

The poinsettia is the national emblem of Madagascar.

The poinsettia has been cultivated in Egypt since the 1860s, when it was brought from Mexico during the Egyptian campaign. It is called bent el consul, “the consul’s daughter”, referring to the US ambassador Joel Poinsett.

In the United States and perhaps elsewhere, there is a common misconception that the poinsettia is highly toxic. This misconception was spread by a 1919 urban legend of a two-year-old child dying after consuming a poinsettia leaf.

While the sap and latex of many plants of the spurge genus are indeed toxic, the poinsettia’s toxicity is relatively mild.

An American Journal of Emergency Medicine study of 22,793 cases reported to the American Association of Poison Control Centers showed no fatalities, and furthermore that a strong majority of poinsettia exposures are accidental, involve children, and usually do not result in any type of medical treatment.

Source: JustFunFacts