A cat-sized relative of kangaroos and wallabies from southwestern Australia. It is herbivorous and mainly nocturnal, and lives mostly on Rottnest and Bald islands, which have no foxes or cats. It is listed as vulnerable.
Quick answers
What is it?Mammal
Carnivore?No, herbivore
Dangerous?No
Domesticated?No
Awake when?Night
Mainly nocturnal, like many of its kangaroo relatives.
Hibernates?No
Kept as a pet?No
Do people eat it?No
At a glance
Found inAustralia
HabitatScrub, Forest
ColoursBrown, Grey
SizeSmall
Length40–54 cm, plus a 25–30 cm tail
Weight2.5–5 kg
Legs2
Covered inFur
Lives ingroups
Lives for10 years
Can swim
In the wild
- Where it lives
- Southwestern Australia: Rottnest Island, Bald Island and scattered spots between Perth and Albany.
- What it eats
- Grasses, shrubs and other plants.
- Conservation
- Vulnerable (IUCN Red List)
Did you know
Its face looks like a grin, which made the quokka selfie a social-media craze.
Quokkas do not really smile: the grin is just the shape of their face.
Quokkas can climb trees.
Often confused with
On these lists
Sources
Last reviewed
Play
Could you have guessed it?
A photo, a few hints, one guess. Same 438 animals.
