Behind the Smile of the 'World's Happiest' Animal
With their cute "smiles" and photo-ready poses, quokkas are often called the "world's happiest animals." But are they really as happy as they seem?
Found in Western Australia, quokkas are around the size of a small cat, and look like a smaller, rounder version of their cousin, the kangaroo.
They have small faces with large eyes and round ears. And quokkas have become famous for looking like they're always smiling.
While the quokka's "smile" is just a result of the way their mouths are shaped, the animals do have a friendly nature. Quokkas are curious animals, and are not afraid of people, making it easy for visitors to take pictures with them.
Taking quokka selfies has become a popular tourist activity on Rottnest Island, the 19-square-kilometer island where the world's largest quokka population lives, about 20 kilometers west of the city of Perth.
Hundreds of thousands of quokka selfies have been posted to social media by tourists, including celebrities like Australian actor Chris Hemsworth and Swiss tennis star Roger Federer.
Although the species is doing well online, it's a different story in the wild, with quokkas being listed as vulnerable by the Western Australian Threatened Species Scientific Committee.
Today, there are thought to be around 10,000 quokkas living on Rottnest Island, with a few smaller populations living on mainland Western Australia.
According to the World Wide Fund for Nature, quokka populations have been going down as a result of predators and decreasing habitat.
For those visiting Rottnest Island, there are rules in place to help keep the quokka population there safe. Visitors can't feed or touch the quokkas — and they may have to pay up to about $7,000 if they're found to be breaking the rules!
