Quokka
| Quokka | ||||||||||||
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Quokka ( Setonix brachyurus ) |
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| Systematics | ||||||||||||
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| Scientific name of the genus | ||||||||||||
| Setonix | ||||||||||||
| Lesson , 1842 | ||||||||||||
| Scientific name of the species | ||||||||||||
| Setonix brachyurus | ||||||||||||
| ( Quoy & Gaimard , 1830) |
The quokka or short-tailed kangaroo ( Setonix brachyurus ) is a species of marsupial from the kangaroo family (Macropodidae) and the only member of the Setonix genus .
features
Quokkas reach a head-trunk length of 48 to 60 cm, the tail measures 25 to 35 cm. The weight of the animals is two to five kilograms. Their short, rough fur is gray-brown in color, sometimes with a slight red tinge. The tail is relatively short and hardly hairy. The build is relatively compact. As with most kangaroos, the hind legs are long and strong, but the front legs are short. The small, rounded ears that stick out straight from the head are striking.
distribution and habitat
These kangaroos live in Australia , their range includes the southwest of Western Australia as well as some offshore islands such as Bald Island and Rottnest Island . This island even got its name ("rat nest") because of these animals in 1696, as the quokkas were initially thought to be large rats and were therefore hunted.
Quokkas inhabit different habitats, but need areas densely covered with undergrowth. On the mainland, they are common near swamps and other bodies of water.
Way of life
Quokkas are nocturnal; During the day they sleep hidden in thickets of plants. At night they go looking for food; to get around, they create trails. If they want to move quickly, they hop their hind legs; Unlike the giant kangaroos and wallabies, they do not use the tail as a support when moving slowly . On Rottnest Island they have partly changed their daily rhythm, as they can beg for food more easily during the day.
At least on Rottnest Island , the animals are sociable and live in family groups; male animals dominate the group and establish a hierarchy among themselves. This ranking is usually stable, but on hot summer days the males can fight intensely for the best shelter. It is the number of hiding places, not the food supply, that limits a quokka population in an area.
They are hardly territorial; Groups of 25 to 150 animals can have overlapping territories . In summer, many animals often gather around the few watering holes.
food
Quokkas, like all kangaroos, are herbivores and feed on grasses, herbs and leaves. When looking for food, they climb up to 1.5 meters high. A multi-chambered stomach and special bacteria help them to utilize the difficult to digest food.
Reproduction
In captivity, mating can take place all year round; in the wild, births usually take place between January and March. The gestation period is 26 to 28 days, usually a single young is born. As with many other kangaroos, the quokkas have a delayed birth : immediately after birth, the female mates again, but the newly-created embryo only begins to grow when the old cub dies or is weaned.
The newborn spends its first few months in its mother's pouch. It comes out for the first time after 175 to 195 days, but still returns there in case of danger or cold. At around nine to ten months it is finally weaned. Sexual maturity usually occurs at the beginning of the second year of life. Life expectancy can be over ten years.
Quokkas and people
Until the 1930s, the quokka was found relatively frequently on the mainland and inhabited a much larger area in southwestern Australia than it does today. Then the populations began to decline dramatically. The reasons for this were the reenactment by introduced foxes and cats , the destruction of their habitat and the food and habitat competition from the wild boars that were also introduced .
Strict control of fox populations has stabilized populations on the mainland. Rottnest Island, where there never were foxes, is now home to the largest single population of quokkas. Here the animals are considered a tourist attraction, but this harbors dangers for the animals: The change in the daily rhythm and unsuitable food cause diseases, and increased building on the island could destroy the habitats of the quokkas. However, a study from 2016 shows that animals near people are in better condition than animals in areas rarely visited by people, whose offspring also die more often. Crumbs of food and the green of the golf course in particular help weather the dry summer. Because of the tourists, the animals became diurnal in the vicinity of tourists.
The IUCN estimates the total population of Quokkas at 8,000 to 17,000 animals, of which 4,000 to 8,000 are on Rottnest Island. The species is listed as "endangered" ( vulnerable ).
In Europe this species is no longer kept in zoos. In Germany, they were cared for in Berlin, Frankfurt am Main, Halle, Gelsenkirchen, Hanover, Cologne and Magdeburg.
literature
- Ronald M. Nowak: Walker's Mammals of the World . 6th edition. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore 1999, ISBN 0-8018-5789-9 (English).
Web links
- Information, photos and videos at arkive.org
- Setonix brachyurus onthe IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . Retrieved January 1, 2009.
Individual evidence
- ↑ April Reese: 'World's Happiest Animal' Bouncing Back, Thanks to Golf. In: National Geographic . July 13, 2017, accessed May 3, 2020 .
- ↑ Zoo animal list. Retrieved June 13, 2015 .