Quokka

Quokkas are marsupials from the south-west of Australia. They are part of the kangaroo and wallaby family but a lot smaller, about the size of a house cat!

Quokkas are mostly nocturnal, so they come out at night usually. They are also herbivores, just like other macropods. Their diet is mostly made up of grasses and leaves from bushes. Water is difficult to find in hot places like Australia and quokkas need a lot of water. Luckily, there is enough water in leaves and plants to give quakkas most of what they need.

Quokkas are named after a word from the Nyungar language spoken by the Noongar community. These are a group of native Australians that still exist and still speak the language.

Quokkas only live in a very small area in south-west Australia, and on a couple of islands where there are fewer predators. They like to hide in prickly bushes and are known to climb trees to have a nap.

Quokkas are only pregnant for a month before they give birth to their baby joey which will live in the mother’s pouch for six months. After this, it still needs the mother to feed it milk for two months before it can move on to eating leaves with the grown-ups.