You might not have heard of the quokka before, but there’s a good chance you’ve seen pictures of them floating around the internet. They’re distinctive because of their cheeky little grins, and it’s no surprise that they’re often referred to as the happiest animals in the world.
Quokkas come from the same family as the kangaroo (called Macropodidae) and they live on a handful of small Australian islands such as Rottnest Island and Bald Island. They can live for up to ten years, and just like other Macropods, the quokka is herbivorous and mainly nocturnal. Unlike many other animals however, the quokka, which has a “vulnerable” conservation status, isn’t very scared of humans.