Animal Report

When it comes to Australian mammals, we tend to focus on kangaroos and koalas most of the time. Most of us have even heard of a wallaby. But what about the quokka? This little macropod is the size of a cat and is thought to be the happiest animal alive because it's always smiling!

The one thing that quokkas do that isn't cute and that many humans find horrifying is throw their babies from their pouches as a distraction to get away from danger. Given how many parents, mothers in particular, are so self-sacrificing in the animal kingdom it sounds like a brutal tactic, but it honestly makes sense: if you're going to save one of the two threatened animals, save the one with the best chance of survival. It's the same with humans in distress while in labor: it makes much more sense to save the mother than to leave an infant without the parent.

What do you think of these interesting animals? Have you ever seen a quokka? Tell us your thoughts in the chat.

Two big sea lions took off with someone's boat and the video has gone viral. If that's not weird enough, the two denied a third sea lion entry onto the boat when it tried to join them!

Sea lions are pretty smart animals so you have to wonder what their goal was here. Did they just want a bit of fun? They likely just wanted to rest while they were out swimming and the boat looked as good as any spot on shore... right? If they've actually evolved to the point where they're going to start stealing everybody's boats we may be in trouble. Lock up your boats! Lock up your jet skis! The sea lions are coming.

What other funny animal stories have you read this week? Share them in the chat.

Let's make 2020 the year we say no to plastic, or at least say no to as much plastic as we can. If you're not using reusable bags already, maybe you could try starting with just one, or saying no whenever possible. You could also start by asking companies like Mattel that use way too much packaging to tone it down.

Our oceans are polluted with over 28 billion pounds of plastic... a year. That's an incredibly sobering thought, and that plastic is polluting and killing marine life. It's also ending up in our food. Scientists predict that plastic will outweigh the number of fish in the ocean if this keeps up.

Please sign the letter above asking Mattel to reduce their packaging and share any other actions that you know of in the chat.

The Irwin family of Australia remains one of the most beloved families of the world despite the loss of Steve Irwin in 2006. Now the family is helping to save animals who've been harmed in the Australian wildfires, treating the animals at the Queensland Zoo where his daughter, Bindi, says that they are safe.

Bindi took to social media to explain how caring for animals is how the family honors her grandmother's legacy, and she shared how the family is helping many of the animals they currently have in hospital right now. 

She's calling for donations to help rehabilitate the animals at Wildlife Warriors, so please feel free to give or share the link, whatever you can do. Do you know of other good places to donate that are helping the animals of Australia? Please share them in the chat.