\u201cThey didn\u2019t really evolve with predators,\u201d American conservation scientist Dan Gwinn, who spends time each day the animals, told TODAY in an interview that aired Sept. 22.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey\u2019re willing to allow you to be close to them, so, you get to have that close-up and intimate experience,\u201d Gwinn added. \u201cThat\u2019s pretty rare.\u201d<\/p>\n
At this time of year, quokka babies, also known as joeys, pop out of their mothers\u2019 pouches and are the guests of honor at a birthday party to welcome them. They\u2019re loved, but don\u2019t seem to realize they\u2019re so famous. <\/p>\n
\u201cThey have no idea,\u201d Gwinn said. \u201cThey\u2019re so photogenic, it\u2019s ridiculous.\u201d<\/p>\n
Quokkas look like they\u2019re smiling due to their bone structure. And that has prompted celebrities like Katy Perry<\/a>, Chris Hemsworth<\/a> and Margot Robbie<\/a> to snap selfies with the creatures. Roger Federer once took a selfie that was so adorable<\/a> that we here at TODAY wrote about it<\/a>. <\/p>\n If you ever get the chance to get a picture with a quokka, just remember to go low, wait and let the animal come to you, as NBC News correspondent Janis Mackey Frayer learned first hand.<\/p>\n People who visit Rottnest Island are not allowed to touch or feed the animals who flourish there due to the absence of natural predators. Conservation for all animals is funded by tourists who head to the island to get a look at the quokkas.<\/p>\n \u201cBy protecting the quokkas, you\u2019re protecting all of the other animals and plants that live on the island so the whole island can thrive,\u201d park ranger Kye Adams said.<\/p>\n Quokkas are known to try and take food from people, while the species itself is considered vulnerable \u2014 even as the island population is stable \u2014 so conservation efforts are aimed at keeping them safe and happy.<\/p>\n![\"Smile!\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/quokka-selfie-66873a.jpg\")
Smile!TODAY<\/p>\n