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The koala is not a bear as it is sometimes called. It is a marsupial and not even closely related to true bears. The word koala is Aboriginal for 'no drink', however, although they find most of their moisture requirements in their diet, they will occasionally drink from standing water. The koala's nearest relative is the wombat.
GENERAL FACTS Koalas are found in the eucalypt forests of eastern Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria, as well as the far south-eastern part of South Australia. Koalas are short and stocky animals with thick, woolly fur. Koalas found in the north have light grey fur and are generally smaller than those in the south. Koalas in the south have a more brownish-grey colouring and males may reach over 80cm in length and weigh 14kg. The koala’s belly is white and it’s large nose flat and black. DID YOU KNOW? The koala is not a bear as it is sometimes called. It is a marsupial and not even closely related to true bears. The word koala is Aboriginal for 'no drink', however, although they find most of their moisture requirements in their diet, they will occasionally drink from standing water. The koala's nearest relative is the wombat.
DIET Koalas have an exclusive diet of eucalyptus leaves. Eucalyptus leaves are low in nutrition but high in fibre. The leaves also have toxins in them but the Koala’s digestive system is designed to break the toxins down so they are not harmful. They do not eat all eucalypt species. Of the many hundreds of species, koalas only eat around 40 on a regular basis and in any given area usually three or four species comprise the bulk of the diet.
REPRODUCTION A newborn koala is the size of a jelly bean. The joeys stay in their mothers pouch for about six months, then the baby climbs onto their mothers back and rides around in safety for a further six months gradually learning to eat their leafy diet. They live for 16-18years in captivity but probably much less in the wild.
BEHAVIOUR Koalas are mainly nocturnal animals that spend the day asleep in the fork of the tree. They are solitary animals and will aggressively protect their individual territories. Fights can be extremely violent and scratching and biting is not uncommon. Although koalas are still reasonably common in some areas, they face many problems including habitat destruction, disease and introduced predators. Koalas have very sharp claws, which are excellent for climbing and can be used in defence. They do not make any type of nest or shelter. Koalas are very inactive because they need to save energy due to their poor diet.
Article contributed by Australian Reptile Park
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| Last Updated ( Tuesday, 20 March 2007 ) |
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