Question

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Happy as a Quokka

Sometimes called the world's happiest animal, the quokka has a face that often appears to be smiling. With its plump cheeks and photogenic grin, the quokka has found fans all over the world. But there is more to this small Australian mammal than its adorable appearance; the quokka is a fascinating animal with many unusual biological and behavioral characteristics.

Once mistaken for large rats, quokkas are actually a type of marsupial. Like kangaroos, mother quokkas carry their young (called joeys) in a pouch until they are about six months old. When a joey reaches this age, it is about the size of a lime and ready to start observing the world. It starts by poking its head out of the pouch, and eventually it begins hopping around on its own. A fully grown quokka weighs between five and eleven pounds and is about the size of a small house cat.

Because of their small size, quokkas have developed specific survival instincts to avoid larger predators. One of their strategies is to seek out habitats that have recently been burned by a wildfire. This might seem like strange behavior, but there is actually a clever reason behind it. During a wildfire, most animals will flee for safety, leaving the area with few predators that could harm the quokkas. Additionally, the new growth that begins to develop after a fire is often high in nutrients.

Quokkas have adapted over time to survive in environments where nutrients are scarce. That's because quokkas have developed the ability to go for long periods of time without eating or drinking—sustaining themselves with fat stored in their tails. Some quokkas have been known to go without food for a month or more when they can't find the specific grasses and leaves they like to eat.

Despite their resilient nature, quokkas are still susceptible to illness. During the mid-twentieth century, researchers in Australia noticed that some quokkas in captivity showed symptoms of muscle paralysis. At the time, no one could figure out why quokkas were experiencing these symptoms, but eventually a connection was made between the animals' condition and a specific vitamin deficiency. Sure enough, when given more vitamin-rich foods like the ones they eat in the wild, the quokkas in captivity started to recover. Because of this discovery, scientists began to explore the idea that some muscle conditions in humans might also be related to vitamin deficiencies. This hypothesis turned out to be correct, and it has led to the development of important treatments.

Quokkas have contributed to human health in other ways, too. One study found that people can actually lower their anxiety by observing quokkas and other cute-looking animals. When test subjects spent thirty minutes looking at photos and videos of these animals, researchers found that it reduced their anxiety by an average of thirty-five percent. So, the next time you're feeling overwhelmed, a quokka "smile" might be just what the doctor ordered.

(3 points)

Answer 1

Quokkas, small cat-sized Australian marsupials famous for their "smiling" faces, carry joeys in pouches and weigh about 5–11 pounds. They survive by using recently burned habitats to avoid predators and by storing fat in their tails to endure long fasts. Studies linking quokka vitamin-deficiency paralysis to human treatments and showing that viewing quokkas reduces anxiety highlight their scientific and therapeutic value.