The Quokka is a small relative of the kangaroo with a face that looks like a mouse. The Quokka is endangered because the wetlands where it lives are disappearing and because it is easy prey for animals that are introduced by humans.
Body length: Male 43.5-54cm / Female 40-50cm
Tail length: Male 26-31cm / Female 24.5-28.5cm
Weight: Male 2.7-4.2kg / Female 2.7-3.5kg
(Source: Doubutsu Sekai-isan* Red Data Animals Kodansha) (*World Animal Heritage)
Among other areas, Quokkas live on Rottnest and Bald Islands off the coast of southwest Australia.
Quokkas eat swamp grasses as well as the shoots and leaves of shrubs.
Quokkas trample plants to make tunnel-like runways through vegetation, which act as their own roads.
A mouse that acts like a kangaroo?
Do you know how to tell the difference between a kangaroo and a wallaby? You might be surprised to learn that there is actually no clear difference — the wallaby is just a smaller relative of the kangaroo. So the Quokka is actually a type of kangaroo. It raises its young in a pouch and jumps around on its hind legs. However, it is only about the same size as a rabbit and has small, round ears. It almost looks like a mouse pretending to be a kangaroo.
Troubled by cats, foxes, and disappearing wetlands
There were once a lot of Quokkas, but they are now in danger of extinction. They are under threat from development that has destroyed the wetlands where they live and are also threatened by other animals that have been introduced by humans. Quokkas are preyed on by cats and foxes, who are non-native animals in Australia. Their wetland habitat is also disturbed by feral pigs. While efforts are being made to protect them, it is thought that the numbers of Quokka still have not recovered.
If you click the words above, you can see other animals related to this one.