![]() Koalas can even store leaves in their cheek pouches for later. Koalas usually don’t drink much water as they get most of their moisture from these leaves. Tucked into forks or nooks in the trees, koalas may sleep for 18 to 22 hours. That’s why koalas sleep so much- they get very little energy from their diet. Eucalyptus is toxic, so the koala’s digestive system has to work hard to digest it, breaking down the toxins and extracting limited nutrients. Koalas can eat more than a pound of eucalyptus leaves a day. They rely on the eucalyptus tree for both habitat and food. When not sleeping, they’re usually eating. Koalas live in the eucalyptus forests of southeastern and eastern Australia. They have two toes, fused together, on their feet, which they use to comb their fur. They have two opposing thumbs on their hands, and both their feet and hands have rough pads and claws to grab onto branches. Though koalas look fuzzy, their hair is more like the coarse wool of a sheep. ![]() Often called the koala “bear,” this tree-climbing animal is a marsupial-a mammal with a pouch for the development of offspring. The koala is an iconic Australian animal. The closest living relative to this cute creature is a wombat.Current Population Trend: Decreasing What is the koala? It’s thought that this is because they get very little energy from their diets. The brain size of modern koalas brains have got smaller than their ancestors. They’ve certainly been around for a long time. Koala fossils were found in Australia and have been dated back as long ago as 20 million years. Very sadly, about 80% of their habitat has been lost to human homes, droughts and forest fires! When they’re closer to the city, as they sometimes have to be, they are often killed by cars and dogs.īut luckily, lots of people are working together to make sure these awesome creatures survive. Koalas are protected by law, but they’re not listed as an endangered species. Wow, they must eat fast to get 2 pounds (1 kilogram) of eucalyptus leaves in 6 hours! They don’t have much energy and when they’re not munching away at leaves, they snooze in the branches. It is believed that as they get all their moisture from the eucalyptus leaves they love so much, that they hardly ever drink water.ĭo you enjoy your sleep? Well so do our cute, furry friends. Koalas get their names from an Aboriginal term meaning ‘no drink’. What? Well, luckily for them they have a long digestive organ called a cecum, which allows them to break down all those leaves unharmed. Now this is amazing! Eucalyptus leaves are seriously tough and poisonous too. They only choose the most nutritious and tastiest leaves from where they live. They eat up to 2 pounds (1 kilogram) of eucalyptus leaves in a day! Whoa that’s a lot. Once they’re all grown up, they eat a lot. Now and again they eat a bit of dirt, as it helps them to digest the eucalyptus leaves. They only eat eucalyptus leaves, nothing else! Can you imagine living on eucalyptus leaves your entire life? That can’t be too tasty! When it’s strong enough to cling to mom’s back, it leaves the pouch! Cool huh? What do koala bears eat? When they are born, they are about the size of a jellybean…that’s super small! When a little baby is born, it climbs into mom’s pouch straight away.Īt birth, they are blind and don’t have any ears, but they use their strong sense of touch and smell – as well as their natural instincts – to find their way. She carries her joey for a couple of months after they’ve been born. Just like other marsupials the mom has a pouch where she carries her cute and cuddly baby, called a joey. The kangaroo is another example of a marsupial. They just look like teddy bears, and when they were first found, because they kinda looked like a teddy bear that’s where they got their name. Well they are called Koala bears, so surely they should be bears right? Well actually wrong. Koalas have large noses that are coloured pink or black. They are awesomely cuddly and they are about 23 inches (60 centimeters) to 33 inches (85 centimeters) long and they weigh about 31 pounds (14kilograms). No wonder they can climb so well up the branches of trees! They have grey fur with a creamy colored chest, and very strong clawed feet. Koalas are found in eastern Australia in the eucalyptus forests. Koala bears are just the cutest animals! Here are some really cool facts for you to enjoy.
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