Quokka was first recorded in 1855, and comes from Noongar, an Aboriginal language of this area. Quokkas are the size of a cat, and have long greyish-brown fur and rounded ears.
Indigenous names include Ban-gup, Bungeup, Quak-a and Bangop. At the time of European settlement the Quokka was common in the south-west of Western Australia.
noun. quok·ka ˈkwä-kə : a stocky herbivorous marsupial (Setonix brachyurus of the family Macropodidae) of southwestern Australia that has a short tail.
Common Wombat:The name 'wombat' is derived from the Dharug language of the indigenous people of Sydney. The Wiradjuri people of NSW called it 'wambad. ' Page 3 Tasmanian Devil: European settlers named this marsupial the 'devil' due to the frightening screams they make when they are squabbling at night.
Their word for wallaby was walaba. Other names for wallaby from different Aboriginal tribal groups include mani, parrpay and kantu.
The Southern hairy-nosed wombat (Lasiorhinus latifrons), named Wardu across the Far West Aboriginal language groups, is an important species in Aboriginal culture, part of the dream time stories and as a valuable food source.
Assimilationist terms such as 'full-blood,' 'half-caste' and 'quarter-caste' are extremely offensive and should never be used when referring to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
The word koala emerged from Aboriginal words for “no water” or “no drink.” Some of the original names include kaola, koala, colah, coola, colo, coloo, koolewong and koobor, according to koalainfo.com.
The names of many of our iconic plants and animals come from Aboriginal words, including: kookaburra – from the Wiradjuri word gugubarra. kangaroo – from the Guugu Yimithirr word gangurru. bilby – from the Ullaroi word bilba.
The name "dingo" comes from the Dharug language used by the Indigenous Australians of the Sydney area. The first British colonists to arrive in Australia in 1788 established a settlement at Port Jackson and noted "dingoes" living with indigenous Australians.
They smile because they're hot
But all this smiling is actually an evolutionary feature that helps them pant and cool off — a big plus for furry residents of an island that's bathed in sunshine 12 months a year.
But take out that one offending preposition and it's true — quokkas sacrifice their babies in order to escape predators. "The pouch is really muscular so the mum will relax it and the bub will fall out," conservation biologist Matthew Hayward from the University of Newcastle says.
Description: Quokkas are one of the smallest wallaby species in Australia. They have thick, coarse, grey-brown fur; short, rounded fluffy ears, a tail 24–31 cm long and shorter hindlegs than other macropod species.
Adopted into the local English language are also many Noongar plant and animal names: Marri, Karri, Jarrah, Quenda (Bandicoot), Quokka and Jilgie.
This marked the beginning of the European exploration and settlement on the island. In 1696, Dutch captain Willem de Vlamingh spent 6 days exploring the island before giving it the name 't Eylandt 't Rottenest ("Rats' Nest Island") after the quokkas which he mistook for giant rats.
The word "quokka" is originally derived from a Noongar word, which was probably gwaga. Today, the Noongar people refer to them as ban-gup, bungeup and quak –a. In 1658, Dutch mariner Samuel Volckertzoon wrote of sighting "a wild cat" on the island.
Gubbah, also spelt gubba, is a term used by some Aboriginal people to refer to white people or non-Aboriginal people. The Macquarie Dictionary has it as "n. Colloq. (derog.) an Aboriginal term for a white man".
A survey of newspapers in July 2007 found that the most common Aboriginal word is 'kangaroo', followed by 'wallaby' (which might be influenced by the rugby team of the same name), 'waratah' (also a rugby team), 'koala', 'billabong', 'kookaburra', 'dingo' and 'wombat'.
There are numerous names in Aboriginal languages including Kooelwong, Colo, Coloo, Coola, Colah, koobor, Koolah and Kaola.
There are many different names across Aboriginal languages: "biliirr" (Gamilaraay), "wayimaa" (Wiradjuri); "gehr" (Bundjalung), "kakalyalya" (Warlpiri) and "carapii" (Biripi). "Cockatoo", however, is thought to come from the Dutch word "kaketoe", which is a Eurocised adaptation from the Malay word, "kakatua".
Aboriginal people are familiar with Kinga (salt-water crocodiles) and their behaviors on the land. Large crocodiles are respected and left alone, while smaller crocodiles may be caught and eaten for food.
Aboriginal people had many different regional names for the platypus, including “boondaburra”, “mallingong” and “tambreet”.
'Aborigine' is generally perceived as insensitive, because it has racist connotations from Australia's colonial past, and lumps people with diverse backgrounds into a single group. You're more likely to make friends by saying 'Aboriginal person', 'Aboriginal' or 'Torres Strait Islander'.
'Aborigine' is a noun for an Aboriginal person (male or female).
Your Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander heritage is something that is personal to you. You do not need a letter of confirmation to identify as an Indigenous Australian.