Quokkas are some of the most adorable animals on Earth, and they’ve earned themselves a reputation as “the happiest animal in the world.” It’s easy to see why.
The 40-centimeter-long fuzzy animal has a permanent grin on its face.
With a life spent foraging for tasty treats and receiving fuss from tourists, who can blame them.
Quokkas are native to Rottnest Island in Western Australia, although there are also isolated populations on the mainland.
Quokkas are one of the most adorable animals on earth, and it’s easy to see why.
The pictures were taken by 40-year-old American photographer Max Waugh. He has been fascinated by the marsupials ever since he discovered them as the only entry under ‘Q’ in a book of mammals as a child.
Max said: “Seeing a quokka was a goal 30 years in the making.
“You can find them on Rottnest Island in Western Australia. I was only in Australia for a brief time, but I trekked across the country to capture quokkas.
“The quokka is a kind creature. Even though we saw them away from the major tourist area, they were really interested and would hop up to me immediately.
“They would permit me to get very close and snap photos of them while foraging for nuts, seeds, and leaves.
“I decided to rent a bike and ride into the countryside in the hopes of seeing some creatures in a less-touristed location.
“I discovered a small colony on a peaceful road, which provided the majority of the photographs.
The quokka has a tell-tale grin that’s been cropping up frequently in photographs taken with Australian tourists lately, but it’s tough to detect and capture because the animal is so low to the ground and is busy with eating most of the time.
“Taking photographs was more difficult than I anticipated. I was on my belly, rolling in quokka poop to get closer photos of these adorable creatures.”
With a life spent foraging for tasty treats and receiving fuss from tourists, who can blame them.
