Summary

Quokka are small marsupials related to kangaroos and wallabies. They occur only in scattered populations in the south-west corner of Western Australia, a range thought to be under half of what it was prior to the arrival of Europeans. With fewer than 10,000 in the wild Quokka are considered Vulnerable by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

This specimen was raised at Melbourne Zoo and donated to the Museum in 1957 after its death.

The name Quokka is thought to have come from the Nyungar language of the Noongar people of Western Australia. The first Europeans to see them mistook them for large rats and named Rottenest Island, meaning "rat nest" in Dutch, after them.

Specimen Details

Taxonomy

Geospatial Information