Most people visiting Australia have to snap photos of the local koala bears and kangaroos. After all, these adorable animals have become synonymous of the commonwealth country and continent. And it’s easy to see why. Animals in Australia are exotic, unique, and look nothing like the ones we are familiar with in North America. But the koalas and kangaroos may just have lost the title of the cutest animals from Australia. They have been bumped by a smaller critter named quokka. The marsupial is smaller than the koalas. Nonetheless, it is not their size that makes them endearing to locals and tourists, it’s their infectious smiles and adorable faces. One quokka, however, had a very special surprise for Jeanne and her husband Bing Winarta. Not only was the small animal smiling from ear to ear for its photo, it invited someone else to join in.The explorer named one of the Australian island’s “Rotte nest,” translated from Dutch to “rat nest.”
“We reckon quokkas are underestimated and they deserve the worldwide recognition that other more well-known Australian marsupials enjoy,” says Jeanne. Her photo is helping doing just that.
