---
title: "What the sources say about the Quokka | AnimalTracks.wiki"
description: "59 claims from the Quokka profile, each beside the words of the source that backs it."
image: "https://animaltracks.wiki/images/animals/quokka-1.webp"
canonical: "https://animaltracks.wiki/animals/quokka/sources/"
---

# What the sources say about the Quokka (*Setonix brachyurus*)

> 59 claims from the Quokka profile, each beside the words of the source that backs it. A "..." marks a cut in a quote and [brackets] an insertion.

Profile: [Quokka](https://animaltracks.wiki/animals/quokka/)

## Setonix brachyurus (quokka). Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan.

https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Setonix_brachyurus/

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| A Western Australian wallaby | On the southwestern coast of Western Australia, several isolated mainland populations of Setonix brachyurus ... is among the smallest wallabies (note: final review: was 'A Rottnest Island marsupial'; DBCA and ADW place populations on the mainland and Bald Island too) |
| no fear of tourists | Since they are such a friendly species, unafraid of humans |
| fox- and cat-free Rottnest and Bald Islands | exotic predators such as foxes and cats ... The adjacent islands of Rottnest Island and Bald Island do not have these predators and are home to larger populations. |
| Grasses, sedges, succulents | succulents, shrubs, forbs, grasses and sedges |
| may help it spot predators | This is likely to help the species spot their predators. |
| Animal Diversity Web says colour vision likely helps quokkas spot predators. | quokkas have color vision. This is likely to help the species spot their predators. |
| Quokkas are among the smallest wallabies | Setonix brachyurus is among the smallest wallabies |
| a quokka brings its food back up to chew as cud | Quokkas do not chew their food, but rather they swallow it, regurgitate it and chew the cud. |
| The leaves hold enough water that a quokka doesn't need to drink much | The majority of their herbivore diet comprises of plants including succulents, shrubs, forbs, grasses and sedges. These leaves contain water so quokkas do not need to drink a lot throughout the year. |
| A joey is born after a pregnancy of about a month and spends roughly six months in its mother's pouch | The gestation period is approximately one month, and after birth the joey moves to its mother's pouch. This is where it stays for six months for protection and food |
| Its mother can already be carrying a second, dormant embryo in reserve, suspended for about five months: it starts developing if the first joey dies, and disintegrates if the joey survives | After giving birth, the mother mates again and embryonic diapause occurs. This new embryo remains dormant for approximately five months, when the body can detect if the first joey had survived or not. If the young dies, the embryo implants and develops, and if the joey is alive, the embryo disintegrates. |
| Rottnest has no foxes or cats | exotic predators such as foxes and cats ... The adjacent islands of Rottnest Island and Bald Island do not have these predators |
| the only species in its genus, Setonix | This species is the only member in its genus. |
| A small, nocturnal wallaby | Setonix brachyurus is among the smallest wallabies |
| nocturnal | This species is nocturnal, feeding at night and resting during the day |
| the family Macropodidae | Family Macropodidae kangaroos, wallabies, and relatives |
| a female quokka carries her joey in a pouch, in the quokka's case for about six months after birth | after birth the joey moves to its mother's pouch. This is where it stays for six months for protection and food |
| Quokkas are a vulnerable species with a fragile population, and keeping one as a pet isn't an option | Due to their fragile population size, they cannot be taken in as pets. |
| they're unafraid of humans, and Animal Diversity Web notes that people sometimes feed them food that actually harms them | Since they are such a friendly species, unafraid of humans, people sometimes feed them foods that are harmful. |

## Quokka. San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance.

https://animals.sandiegozoo.org/animals/quokka

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| a permanent grin | is surpassed only by its perpetual "smile." (note: reviewer: the look, not an expression; FAQ 2 explains it) |
| swampy forest | mainland quokkas use dense vegetation in swamps amidst dry sclerophyll forest |
| wattle (Acacia) leaves | the leaves of Acacia trees, called the wattles in Australia |
| Bolt Down the Runways | Its frequently used paths serve as runways to escape predators. (note: final review: was 'Running Is the Whole Plan'; SDZWA says the strategy is to avoid conflict first, then flee) |
| no formidable bite, kick, or stench to put off a predator | Lacking a formidable bite, kick, or stench, the quokka instead quickly bolts down trodden paths through thick grasses to avoid predators. |
| Thick grass and shrubland are laced with the trodden paths a quokka uses to escape | they opt for swift flight through dense grasses and shrubs. They shelter by day in areas with thick vegetation. Nighttime travel creates trails that are used as "roads" for feeding and fleeing. |
| it bolts down one, hopping on its hind legs | In a mad dash, it hops on its hind legs. |
| Its natural predators are dingoes and birds of prey | Natural predators of quokkas are dingoes and birds of prey |
| the red fox, which reached southwest Western Australia in the early 1930s | suffered severe declines after the red fox arrived in the southwest of Western Australia in early 1930s |
| made short work of mainland quokkas in many areas | The quokka was common in coastal parts of the mainland of southwestern Australia until the 1930s, when the red fox Vulpes vulpes was introduced. This voracious hunter made short order of the quokka in many areas. |
| One modelling study found that quokkas would thrive alongside dingoes: the dingo suppresses the introduced fox through competition, direct killing or fear, dropping the total predation pressure on quokkas even with two predators present | According to mathematical models, conservation researchers found that quokkas would thrive alongside the dingo, a native apex predator, as its presence suppresses the nonnative red fox through competition, direct killing, or fear-induced behaviors. "Even if both predators target the same prey, the total intensity of predation is reduced in the presence of the apex predator," they write. |
| digesting rather like a sheep: most of the fifteen or so types of bacteria in their stomach resemble those in a sheep's rumen | Its ruminant-like digestive system resembles that of sheep: most of the 15 or so morphological types of bacteria present in the large stomach region of the quokka are similar to those in the rumen of sheep |
| They can survive extended stretches without food or water when supplies run low | they can survive extended periods without food or water, perhaps an offshoot of seasonal variation and availability of food |
| store fat in their tails for backup | Quokkas can store fat in their tails and use it when food is scarce. |
| then keeps nursing for about six months more | It will stay in the pouch for about 6 months. Joeys emerge from the pouch, but continue to nurse another 6 months or so. (note: final review: was ADW's 'until it is weaned', which contradicts ADW's own weaning age of 8 months and SDZWA's extra six months of nursing) |
| A quokka lives about 10 years. | Life Span About 10 years |
| In 1696, the Dutch explorer Willem de Vlamingh spotted quokkas on an island near Perth, mistook them for oversized rats, and named the place Rattennest, Dutch for "rat's nest." It later became Rottnest Island | They are more numerous on Rottnest Island, near Perth ... Mistaking this pint-sized marsupial for an oversized rat, in 1696, Dutch explorer Willem de Vlamingh named the island "Rattennest," meaning "Rat's Nest" in his mother tongue. It was later modified to Rottnest Island. |
| so it holds the biggest quokka population | the foxes did not make it to Rottnest Island, so quokkas are more plentiful there ... it is perhaps no surprise that the largest quokka population is on Rottnest Island |
| its quokkas appear to shed their nocturnal habits and mix freely with visitors | Here, quokka appear to shed their nocturnal lifestyle and readily mix and mingle with visitors. |
| the global population today sits at roughly 7,500 to 15,000 mature quokkas | currently hovers around 7,500 to 15,000 mature individuals worldwide. |
| about the size of a house cat | About the size of a house cat |
| Mostly teeth and muscle | the quokka's grin is largely due to its facial muscles and protruding front teeth |
| the look is largely down to a quokka's facial muscles and protruding front teeth, not the person waving a selfie stick at it | the quokka's grin is largely due to its facial muscles and protruding front teeth, not the person on the ground waving around a selfie stick |
| Add its friendly, curious nature around people | The quokka's friendly, curious personality (even toward humans) |
| the quokka selfie became an Australian trend | trying to get a #quokkaselfie, which is trending in Australia |

## Burbidge & Woinarski (2025). Setonix brachyurus. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2025: e.T20165A258663635.

https://doi.org/10.2305/iucn.uk.2025-1.rlts.t20165a258663635.en

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| IUCN lists Setonix brachyurus as Vulnerable | IUCN Red List category: Vulnerable (VU). |

## Arrese et al. (2005). Cone topography and spectral sensitivity in two potentially trichromatic marsupials, the quokka (Setonix brachyurus) and quenda (Isoodon obesulus). Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences.

https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2004.3009

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| three kinds of colour cone | Immunohistochemistry revealed that SWS cones in the quokka are concentrated in dorso-temporal retina ... MSP confirmed that MWS and LWS cones are spectrally distinct, with mean wavelengths of maximum absorbance at 502 and 538 nm in the quokka ... The presence of three cone types (note: reviewer: was 'three-colour vision'. The paper calls the quokka only 'potentially trichromatic' (title) and shows three cone types, not trichromatic vision) |
| Three spectrally distinct cone types for colour vision | MSP confirmed that MWS and LWS cones are spectrally distinct, with mean wavelengths of maximum absorbance at 502 and 538 nm in the quokka ... accounting for a spectral shift from ultraviolet in the quenda to violet in the quokka |
| Among mammals, three types of cone cell (the eye's colour-detecting receptors) were once thought to be unique to primates, humans included. | The potential for trichromacy in mammals, thought to be unique to primates, was recently discovered in two Australian marsupials. Whether the presence of three cone types, sensitive to short- (SWS), medium- (MWS) and long- (LWS) wavelengths |
| In 2005, researchers found three cone types in the quokka retina too, two of them peaking at 502 and 538 nanometres | MSP confirmed that MWS and LWS cones are spectrally distinct, with mean wavelengths of maximum absorbance at 502 and 538 nm in the quokka ... The presence of three cone types (note: 2005 is the paper's publication year (reference metadata, checked against Crossref by audit:sources), so the quote can't contain it) |
| That's the same number primates use for full-colour vision. | The potential for trichromacy in mammals, thought to be unique to primates, was recently discovered in two Australian marsupials. Whether the presence of three cone types (note: final review: was 'the same anatomical toolkit'; the paper compares the number of cone types, not the eye) |
| The quokka retina carries three spectrally distinct cone types, the same headcount primates use for full-colour vision. | trichromacy in mammals, thought to be unique to primates ... MSP confirmed that MWS and LWS cones are spectrally distinct, with mean wavelengths of maximum absorbance at 502 and 538 nm in the quokka ... accounting for a spectral shift from ultraviolet in the quenda to violet in the quokka |
| The study that found them suggests the trait spans the marsupials. | The presence of three cone types, along with previous findings in the fat-tailed dunnart and honey possum, suggests that three spectrally distinct cone types are a feature spanning the marsupials. |

## Fauna Profile: Quokka Setonix brachyurus. Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions, Western Australia, 2017.

https://library.dbca.wa.gov.au/FullTextFiles/926978.pdf

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| Dense coastal heath | On the south coast, they occupy a wide range of vegetation types including swamps, riparian areas, gullies and dense coastal heath. (note: hand check: PDF. Reviewer re-read it (text extracted with macOS PDFKit): verbatim on page 1, split in reading order by a map caption) |
| in isolated patches of southwestern Western Australia | Historically, the quokka was widespread and abundant across the south-west of Western Australia. ... it also continues to exist on Bald Island and in parts of its former range on the mainland, where it is found in isolated patches of the northern Jarrah forest (note: hand check: PDF. Reviewer read it (text extracted with macOS PDFKit), page 1) |
| males weigh 2.7 to 4.5 kg and females 1.6 to 3.5 kg | Weight: 2.7-4.5kg (males) and 1.6-3.5kg (females) (note: hand check: PDF. Final review read it with the Read tool: verbatim on page 1) |
| with a head and body 39 to 54 cm long, plus a 23 to 31 cm tail | Head and Body Length: 39-54cm Tail Length: 23-31cm (note: hand check: PDF. Final review read it with the Read tool: verbatim on page 1) |
| The quokka's best-known home is named after a case of mistaken identity. | The species was described by a Dutch explorer as looking like a large rat and the island where he first saw them, Rottnest (meaning rat's nest), was named after the species. ... The species is best known from Rottnest Island (note: hand check: PDF. Reviewer read it (text extracted with macOS PDFKit), page 1) |
| by the early 1990s, the quokka's mainland range had shrunk by more than half | By the early 1990s the quokka's distribution on the mainland had been reduced by more than 50%. (note: hand check: PDF. Reviewer re-read it (text extracted with macOS PDFKit): verbatim on page 1) |
| gives males 2.7 to 4.5 kg and females 1.6 to 3.5 kg | Weight: 2.7-4.5kg (males) and 1.6-3.5kg (females) (note: hand check: PDF. Final review read it with the Read tool: verbatim on page 1. Was SDZWA's 2.5 to 5 kg under an ADW ref; DBCA gives the range by sex and states every fact this answer needs) |