They're distinctive because of their cheeky little grins, and it's no surprise that they're often referred to as the happiest wild animals in the world. 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. Šarūnė Bar BoredPanda staff You might not have heard of the quokka before, but there's a good chance you've seen pictures of these funny animals floating around the internet. Posted by Emily R. | Wild Animals. The happiest animal on the planet can be found in Southwestern Australia. Actually, the island was named after this animal. The disturbing footage shows a gangly man in a grey shirt and skinny black ripped jeans launching huge kicks towards the miniature kangaroo-like animal, the quokka, which is only found on Rottnest Island, near Perth, Western Australia. There are around 12,000 quokkas on Rottnest and 1 The quokka is a marsupial. 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. What’s great about these selfies is that the Quokka always appears to be hamming it up for the camera and even smiling. Shares. This tiny kangaroo has the scientific name of Setonix Brachyurus. The island still is the main place of the quokka's habitat. The island still is the main place of the quokka's habitat. Meet The Quokka, The Happiest Animal In The World (PHOTOS) By Ryan Grenoble When it comes to cute animal pictures, there's no beating this cheeky creature, who may as well have wandered straight out of a feel-good kids' movie. Back then, they were mistaken for large rats by a Dutch visitor who named the island the "rat's nest" in Dutch, which later became Rottnest. The quokka has earned the title of “the happiest animal in the world” thanks to the constant smile on its face. However, the marsupials are now booming on Rottnest Island, thanks to urban development. Quokka: The happiest animal in the world Even though dogs are a man's best friend, they aren't the happiest. Quokkas have little fear of humans and commonly approach people closely, particularly on Rottnest Island, where a prevalent population exists. These 30 animals that look like they're smiling are bound to warm even the stone-cold jaded hearts among us. It appears that quokkas are happiest on the golf course. You might not have heard of the quokka before, but there's a good chance you've seen pictures of these funny animals floating around the internet. Quokkas Are The Happiest Animals In The World. It's known as the Quokka. In honor of the International Day of Happiness on March 20, we've ranked the 15 happiest animals of all time. 'World's happiest animal', the quokka, becomes the most popular tourist attraction at Australia's Rottnest Island For full functionality of this site it is necessary to enable JavaScript. It Can’t Be Your Pet. Quokkas have little fear of humans and commonly approach people closely, particularly on Rottnest Island, where a prevalent population exists. Facebook. After one look at these Australian marsupials and their natural ‘smiles,’ it’s hard to imagine that these highly endemic and elusive medium-sized mammals occur on only a few islands and a fraction of their prior geographic range. There are around 12,000 quokkas on Rottnest and 1 Quokka was readily dubbed by the world media as the happiest animal in the world. For this reason, they’ve become known as “The Happiest Animal in the World.” Granted, they are not actually smiling and, ultimately, they are still very much a wild animal, but there is no doubt that they are cute. Why Quokka is the happiest animal in the world? Actually, the island was named after this animal. Pinterest. Quokkas come from the same family as the kangaroo (called Macropodidae) and are often referred to as the happiest animal in … World’s Happiest Animal. And neither are other domesticated pets like cats. Not so fast, however – the scientific jury is still out on whether or not animals can/do actually smile. It doesn’t take much to see why the quokka has earned its title of the World’s Happiest Animal. WARNING: Contains smiles. This tiny kangaroo has the scientific name of Setonix Brachyurus. 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. Unlike other dangerous Australian animals, the Quokka poses no … Twitter. reddit. These 30 animals that look like they're smiling are bound to warm even the stone-cold jaded hearts among us. The quokka has been considered an animal vulnerable to extinction. WARNING: Contains smiles. Part of the kangaroo and wallaby family, and around the size of a small cat, the marsupial can only be found on Western Australia’s Rottnest Island, and a handful of smaller islands around the coast of Western Australia. In honor of the International Day of Happiness on March 20, we've ranked the 15 happiest animals of all time. Back then, they were mistaken for large rats by a Dutch visitor who named the island the "rat's nest" in Dutch, which later became Rottnest. For its extreme humane imitations as well as cuteness, Quokkas have actually been labelled world’s happiest animal.