The
scientific name for the koala is Phascolarctos
cinereus.
Koalas
are marsupials; newborn koalas—called joeys—continue to develop in their
mothers’ pouches.
People used to hunt koalas for their fur. Now strict laws protect them from hunters, but their habitat is not protected, and it is disappearing as land is developed.
A female koala is pregnant for only 35 days before giving birth; most of the joey’s growth and development takes place in the mother’s pouch
Though
koalas look like teddy bears and are sometimes even referred to as “koala
bears,” they are not bears.
Koalas
smell like cough drops because of their diet of eucalyptus leaves.
There
are many kinds of eucalyptus trees. Koalas will eat from only a few of these.
Koalas in different areas like different kinds of eucalyptus leaves.
Koalas
are found in the wild only in the forests of eastern Australia.
Once
a newborn koala latches onto a nipple in its mother’s pouch, the nipple swells
in its mouth so the joey can’t be separated from its food source.
Koalas
in the cooler southern areas of Australia are larger and have thicker fur than
their northern relatives. Female koalas are smaller than males.
Southern
koalas weigh between 20 and 30 pounds (9 and 14 kilograms) and northern koalas
weigh between 13 and 16 pounds (6 and 7 kilograms).
Koalas
feed mainly at night.
Koalas
have thick, grayish fur, with white on their chests, inner arms, and ears. They
have large furry ears and leathery noses.
Koalas
live in trees, sometimes coming down to the ground to seek shade or another
tree. They occasionally jump from one tree to the next.
Koalas
live in bushland with other koalas. Each has its own “home trees,” which are
generally not visited by other koalas except during mating season.
Mature
males have brown scent glands in the center of their white chests. They rub
these on their “home trees” to mark their territory.
Koalas
and most other marsupials live in Australia and neighboring islands. The only
marsupial native to the United States is the Virginia opossum.
Fossils
of 12 different extinct species of koala have been found. These extinct koalas
were much larger than the ones today. They were like giant koalas!
Koalas spend as many as 18 hours a day napping and resting.
More than four-fifths of original koala habitat has been destroyed. People are trying to save what is left.
The word “koala” may come from an Aboriginal word meaning “no drink.” Although koalas do drink when necessary, they obtain most of the moisture they need from leaves.
Koalas have thick woolly fur that protects them from both heat and cold. It also acts like a raincoat.
In an ideal habitat in the wild, male koalas live for about 10 years, while females may live a few years longer.
Koalas
have their own in-built cushion! The fur on a koala’s bottom is extra thick so
that the koala can comfortably rest in trees.