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Quokka

Rottnest Island, Western Australia


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Dutch explorers who saw them on an island off the coast of Western Australia thought they were giant rats, and gave the island its current name: Rottnest, meaning nest of rats.

But the animals they had sighted were not rats at all but a species of marsupials known as quokkas.

Today, the quokkas still live and thrive on Rottnest Island which has become popular with visitors and locals alike for its pristine beaches and wildlife habitats and reserves. See Rottnest Island.

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Photo courtesy of Tourism Western Australia © Tourism Western Australian

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