The young will remain in the pouch for about six months. Female Quokkas give birth to a single young about a month after mating. On the mainland, the Quokka appears to be able to breed all year round but the breeding season on Rottnest Island is shorter (from January to August). Quokkas are known to suffer from muscular dystrophy and have been employed in medical research in that area. They are able to climb trees to reach a food source. Their movements resemble a bounding gait interspersed with hopping. However, they can survive for long periods without food or water.During the day they will shelter in areas of dense vegetation.Among the dense vegetation, Quokkas will create paths and trails for use as runways for feeding or escaping predators. Quokkas are most active at night feeding alone or in small bands. On Rottnest Island their diet is primarily succulents and to a lesser extent the leaves of wattles. Quokkas show a distinct preference for new young growth. The seasonal variation on the availability of food sources is linked to the fresh growth associated with fires. Quokkas are plant eaters or herbivores.In fact they can be described as browsing herbivores who favour various grasses and leaves, the most popular being plants from the Thomasia species. Their presence on the mainland has declined severely in the twentieth century to the extent that they are only found in small groups in bushland surrounding Perth including Two Peoples Bay Nature Reserve, Torndirrup National Park, Mt Manypeaks National Park and the Stirling Range National Park. Restricted to the south west region of Western Australia, Quokkas are found on the mainland as well as on Rottnest Island (near Perth) and Bald Island (near Albany). Their success on Bald Island is probably due to their finding suitable food sources and the lack of predators. This tendency points to the Quokka being a habitat specialist with a preference for areas that have been burned in the last ten years.They are however, present on Bald Island even though there has been a low frequency of fires there. Here Quokkas occupy a wide range of semi-arid areas. Quokkas prefer a warm climate but are adapted to the seasonal variations on Rottnest Island. Mainland populations tend to be clustered around dense streamside vegetation but can also be found in shrubland and heath areas, particularly around swamps. In contrast, the hair on the feet extends to cover its claws. Its facial features consist of a naked nose on a short, broad face with rounded furry ears.The tail is relatively short and mostly devoid of hair. The island is now known as Rottnest Island.Įssentially the Quokka looks very much like other wallabies.It has short, very coarse and thick grey-brown fur over most of the body with lighter parts underneath. ![]() He named the island Rottenest ('rat nest') in honour of this sighting. His first sighting of the Quokka was on an island off the mouth of the Swan River. The Quokka, Setonix brachyurus, was described by early Dutch explorer, Willem de Vlamingh, 'as a kind of rat as big as a common cat'. This marsupial has the ability to climb trees. The Quokka is one of the smallest wallabies.
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