- [Narrator] This fuzzy little creature is a quokka.
And these guys live here off the west coast
of Australia on Rottnest Island.
Quokkas are not only cute, they are camera ready.
And they're taking the internet by storm.
So, let's start at the beginning.
What is a quokka?
- A quokka is a small wallaby.
It comes from the same family as a kangaroo.
And physically they've got thick brown fur,
they've got long tails and they hop around.
Quokkas thrive on Rottnest Island
because they don't have any predators over here,
so there's no foxes.
We have the largest viable population of about 10,000.
- [Narrator] Oh, sorry, and you are?
- My name's Cassyanna Gray, and I'm a conservation officer
on Rottnest Island.
In my role I'm responsible
for managing conservation programs.
- [Narrator] And there's one online trend
that has really helped these animals.
A quokka selfie.
But make sure you're getting it right.
How to take a quokka selfie.
Step one: a camera.
Step two: a quokka.
- But don't touch the quokkas.
- [Narrator] Ah, no.
- Or feed them.
It's $150 fine.
- [Narrator] These guys don't need the food.
They naturally graze their way through
the island's vegetation.
- And they also really love the seedlings that we plant
as part of our re-vegetation projects
that we have implemented by our environment technicians.
- [Narrator] Sorry about that guys.
Thanks for all your hard work.
And what makes these guys so great for taking selfies?
- [Cassyanna] Around the settlement areas the quokkas
are a lot friendlier; they've become used to people,
so their natural behaviors change.
But out in the reserve where they're actually still
exhibiting their natural behavior,
they will be a lot more wary of people.
- [Narrator] We have to know,
are they actually smiling in photos?
- [Cassyanna] Yeah, they're not actually smiling
in the photos, it's just the natural shape of their mouth,
which comes up at the side,
which makes them look like they're smiling.
The popularity of the quokka selfie
has given us the opportunity to be able to raise awareness
about the quokka's particularly on the mainland
that are under threat.
So we use that as a platform to educate the public
and also educate them about appropriate
interaction with wildlife.
- [Narrator] So finally, a good cause for selfies.
(upbeat music)