Scientific Name: Setonix brachyurus
IUCN Status: Vulnerable
Body Length: 40–54 cm
Weight: 2.7–4.2 kg
Gestation: 17 days
Number of young: 1

Distribution: Rottnest Island, south-west Western Australian mainland
Habitat: Dense vegetation or dense semi-arid heath.

Description: Quokkas have thick, coarse, grey-brown fur. They have short, rounded fluffy ears, a tail 24–31 cm long and short hindfeet.

Diet: Quokkas are herbivores and eat native grasses and the leaves of wattle plants.

In the wild: Quokkas live in territories with the areas defended by dominant males. They sometimes form groups of 25–150 adults around water soaks.

Threats: Quokkas were once abundant on the Australian mainland but with the arrival of the dingo around 3,500 years ago and then foxes in the late 1800s (neither of which reached Rottnest) their numbers were drastically reduced. Today they are showing signs of recovery on the mainland thanks to the Department of Environment and Conservation's feral-proofing operations.

At Perth Zoo: Perth Zoo Quokkas can be seen in the Australian Bushwalk.

Did you know? Quokkas are very unusual for a number of reasons. They are able to survive in an environment virtually devoid of freshwater and they can climb trees.

Quokkas have been used in medical research on muscular dystrophy as they suffer from the same disease.