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Quokkas of Rottnest Island

Quokka, Rottnest Island, Western Australia. Image credit: Andrew Gregory/Australian Geographic

DESPITE THE FASCINATION for the quokka – a wallaby-like marsupial that resides on Rottnest Island, Western Australia – there’s been no significant research on the island’s population of quokkas in the past 20 years.

However, a four-year study launched this year is ­analysing the ocean-locked population. It’s believed there are 8000 to 12,000 quokkas on Rottnest and the study aims to gather an accurate population count of the vulnerable species.

To find out more about Rottnest Island’s quokka population, grab a copy of issue 118 (Jan/Feb 2014) of Australian Geographic.

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