The
The Happiest Animal
The quokka, a close cousin of the kangaroo, rocketed to internet fame when tourists began taking selfies with the animal, which is unafraid of humans and appears to smile for pictures.
Quokkas are playful, adorable and known for being cute as a button, which has recently landed them the title of 'world's happiest animal. ' These small creatures are covered with short, fluffy brown-grey fur, have little round ears, small black noses and the most contagious and photoshoot-ready smiles.
Known as “the world's most cheerful animal,” quokkas have a perpetually happy expression on their face. It can range from a tiny smile to a toothy grin, but it's always there, and it's always the absolute cutest.
Bottlenose dolphins that engage in synchronised swimming with their peers tend to see the glass as being half full. Some of these dolphins frequently swim in tight-knit groups, and they're the ones who appear the most optimistic, according to a study of eight captive animals.
With its beady eyes and chubby face, the quokka, a type of small kangaroo, is referred to as “the world's happiest animal” because its mouth often curves in the shape of a smile.
The current price is $0.0475 per QUOK.
Here's an interesting tidbit that all those scores of Quokka-lovers rarely share: It's illegal to touch these little guys. If you do reach out to give one a quick pet or a random ruffle, you can be slapped with a $300 fine. They're endangered, you see.
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.
The capybara, considered the friendliest wild animal, has a calm and compassionate nature, even adopting stray and runt animals, and even providing transportation on its back for birds and monkeys. Considered worldwide as the best pets, canines were one of the first species domesticated by homo sapiens.
The quokka, a small marsupial native to Australia, is one such example of a species vulnerable to extinction in the country's harsh surroundings. Known as the “happiest animal in the world” due to its cute and friendly appearance, these creatures are now only found in a few isolated forests and small islands.
1. Quokkas. The quokka, a pint-sized marsupial native to the islands off the coast of Australia and distantly related to kangaroos and wallabies, is nearly always smiling.
To date, there's only one species that has been called 'biologically immortal': the jellyfish Turritopsis dohrnii. These small, transparent animals hang out in oceans around the world and can turn back time by reverting to an earlier stage of their life cycle.
The bluebird is a symbol of happiness in many cultures around the world, including in Russia, where it represents hope, and in China's Shang Dynasty, where it's a messenger of knowledge and enlightenment.
Dogs often prove to be great pets and they come with mental health benefits including stress and anxiety reduction, a boost in self-esteem, and improved social connection. Cats are also popular pets; these loving, independent animals have proven to help with loneliness, depression, and anxiety.
First of all, Hayward makes it clear that quokkas are not violent. "They are typical herbivores," explains the specialist in an email, "that flee from predators instead of defending themselves." Although he admits that he has 'scars' after trying some specimens, they are not really characterized as aggressive animals.
Quokkas are very clever animals and can learn tricks, gestures...and even simple commands! Rottnest Island is home to a permanent population of just 300 lucky people, including one teacher! The world's most popular quokka selfie was taken by Roger Federer at the Hopman Cup in 2018, and was liked 540,000 times!
6. Although friendly, they aren't harmless. Although quokkas are happy to see us and are approachable, it doesn't mean we should pat or cuddle them. They're still wild animals and can bite!
“The quokkas are themselves very inquisitive, so they will look at the camera,” Michelle Reynolds, the island's executive director, tells PEOPLE. “And I've seen them smiling.” Selfies with the creatures raise awareness of their plight, Reynolds says, which in turn helps the island fund its quokka research efforts.
(These islands are free of quokka predators such as foxes and cats.) 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. 1968 V.
Golden retrievers have been crowned the number one dog breed in Australia, beating family favourites like cavoodles, Labradors and Border Collies.
Results: Seventy-two patients (30 males and 42 females) presented after a bite. All but two patients were patting or feeding a quokka at the time of being bitten, and all but two were bitten on a finger or the thumb. Sixty-one per cent of patients were followed up; all wounds healed without complications.