Begin your week with cuteness from nature’s very own Muppet, the quokka

It’s just another manic Monday, and that means it’s time for cute animals! This week we are heading to the land of Australia to look at a creature that looks as though Jim Henson designed it himself: the quokka. Quokkas have become an internet sensation over the years due to their friendly, inquisitive nature and a mouth that always appears to be smiling, making them one of the most photogenic animals around.

Found exclusively along the southwest coast of Australia — around Perth and primarily on Rottnest Island off the coast — quokkas are a marsupial that is around the size of a house cat. These cute creatures are omnivores that will eat anything, which has become an issue as they seem to like eating human foods. This may lead to local businesses designating ” No Quokka” zones, but silly humans can’t stop the quokka, for quokkas can’t read. If you can’t make it to Perth and see them raiding the local bakeries, you can find them playing around in the world famous Australia Zoo and the San Diego Zoo.

While friendly and extremely photogenic, quokkas are a threatened species. Snakes are typically their only predator, but their limited habitats have been destroyed over the years. Add this with their small litter size of just a single joey a year, it’s far too easy for these cuties to be at risk. That is why is is best to just take pictures and leave them alone should you have the opportunity to encounter one in your life.

If you do find you need some quokkas in your life — and let’s face it, we all do — you can do a simple Google search of “quokka” on your phone and there you will have the option of the 3d animated quokka. If you open that, you can be prompted to view it from your phone giving you your very own AR quokka hopping around your area! Personally I found great joy of the little guy hopping around my cubicle last week.

And for the gamers, the upcoming highly anticipated Death Stranding 2 will feature an optional holographic quokka. Pre-orders of the Kojima game are offering an early unlock of the hologram but its real purpose is unknown. Having played the first Death Stranding, maybe having a cute hologram smiling and hopping along will add some joy to the desolate landscape, although quokkas themselves are not known as the best parental figures.

And because you surely need more quokkas in your life, we will leave you with this video of Quimby.