Quokkas are small macropods known widely for their seemingly cheerful expression that has earned them the nickname, “the world’s happiest animal.” These herbivorous marsupials are native to Western Australia. The largest and most famous population inhabits Rottnest Island, just off the coast of Perth. Like other marsupials, quokkas carry and nourish their young within a specialized external pouch.
Terminology for Quokka Young
A baby quokka is called a joey. This is the collective name for the young of many marsupials, including kangaroos and wallabies. Quokkas are social animals, often living in groups referred to as a mob. The adult female that carries and raises the young is simply called a female, or a doe in broader macropod terminology.
The Marsupial Pouch Stage
A quokka joey is born after a gestation period of about one month. At birth, the young is tiny, hairless, and blind, weighing less than a single gram and measuring only around two centimeters in length. The newborn must immediately use its developed forelimbs to crawl from the birth canal up its mother’s fur and into her pouch. Once inside, the joey attaches firmly to one of the mother’s teats, remaining there for about six months to complete its initial development. The joey begins to peek out and take short exploratory trips around the six-month mark. Full weaning and independence typically occur when the young quokka is approximately eight months old.
Unique Reproductive Strategies
The quokka is equipped with a reproductive mechanism known as embryonic diapause, or delayed implantation. The female typically mates again shortly after giving birth, but the resulting fertilized embryo does not immediately implant in the uterus. Instead, this second embryo enters a dormant state, pausing its development at the blastocyst stage. The embryo remains in diapause for approximately five months, ready to resume growth only if the joey in the pouch is lost or leaves the pouch. This allows the female to quickly replace a lost offspring without having to go through a new mating cycle, maximizing her reproductive efficiency.
This reproductive strategy is complemented by a surprising behavioral defense mechanism against predators. When a mother quokka is pursued by a dingo or other threat, she may forcibly eject the joey from her pouch. The distress noises and movements of the abandoned joey act as a sudden distraction for the predator. This temporary diversion allows the mother to escape, effectively sacrificing her offspring for her own survival and the potential future of her genetic line, which is quickly secured by the dormant embryo waiting in diapause.