If you have ever seen a koala you would probably agree that they are absolutely adorable! Koalas fit into the marsupial category and have the scientific name Phascolarctos Cinerus. They have fluffy ears, a huge black nose, and soft looking grey or brown fur. Koalas are 23-33 inches long and weight 9-33 pounds. Even though they may be cute, they still have strong limbs with clawed and padded hands and feet. Also, koalas don't make the cutest noises either; their call sounds similar to someone snoring.

 

Koalas are very particular about where they live. The only place in the world where koalas are naturally found is Australia. Eucalyptus trees are the certain types of trees that koalas use as a habitat. They will sit or sleep in the fork of the tree all day and night long.

 

When koalas feel like it, every now and then they move from one tree to the next. As you can probably predict, koalas have a very laid back life.

 

Surprisingly, koalas never drink! This is because they get all the fluids needed through leaves. The only thing they will settle for eating are Eucalyptus leaves. In particular, they eat 12-35 kinds of Eucalyptus tree leaves out of all 100 species. Koalas are so picky about their diet because their digestive system can only handle these certain types of leaves. Specialized cheek pouches on the koala store food. Their diet consist of 1 to 2 pounds of food a day. That seems like it could keep you full for awhile!

 

Marsupials give birth to some of the most vulnerable babies. Koala mating seasons are December through March. Females have pouches that contain muscles for the baby's safety and open at the rear. The joey, or baby koala, lives in the mother for 35 days before birth. While located in the pouch, the joey drinks the female's milk and eats half digested food that passes through the system. It then is protected in the mother's pouch for 6 months. At the beginning of this stage, the joey is about the size of a lima bean. Koala offspring are born hairless and blind. Last, it stays close to the mom for 6 more months clinging on to her back. The joey will stay with it's mom until the next mating season. The babies become adult koalas at 4-5 years old.

 

Koalas are unique creatures with very unusual behaviors. Koalas are separated into two different types from the North or South. Northern koalas are grey, have shorter fur, and are the smaller of the two kinds. Southern koalas are the biggest and have thick brown hair. All koalas are nocturnal. Males have a gland on their chest to mark trees. Dingoes, goannas, snakes, and birds of prey are all predators of young or sick koalas. They are hit by motor vehicles, hunted for fur, affected by bushfires, chlamydia disease, and 80% of their habitats are destroyed. Koalas are an endangered and protected species because of this. I think that one of the most interesting facts about koalas is that they smell like cough drops because oils used in the medicine are from Eucalyptus leaves.

  

Author: Mary K 

Published: 11/2010

  

Sources: http://biology.usgs.gov/features/learningrm/images_lr/koala1.jpg' http://www.koala.net/media/index.htm http://www.koala.net/wildlife/koala.htm Author: Allison B. Date Published: April 2006