They are easily recognizable by its stout, tailless body and large head with round, fluffy ears and large, spoon-shaped nose.
Their lifestyle is different from other animals.
They are a symbol of laziness and relaxation and that is why people love them.
Koalas are marsupials that differ from other mammals because their newborns develop inside mothers ’pouches instead of a womb.
Koala are legally protected species. They lost their habitat due to fires in eucalyptus forests seriously endangers them.
Although the koala looks like a small soft teddy bear it belongs to the marsupials. Their front and rear extremities are adapted to climbing trees.
It moves awkwardly on the ground with its short crooked legs.
Growing up
When the baby is born, it weighs only 0.3 g. It is born blind and without fur. Instinctively, it will find its way through the mother's fur to her bag, which, unlike other bags, opens from the bottom backwards. In the bag, the koala cub will hold on tightly to the nipple and suck the mother's milk. It will stay in the mother's bag growing for almost 6 months.
Then he opens his eyes and begins to protrude from the quiver. During this period, a special type of feces that the mother excretes for this purpose serves as additional food.
After 6 months, he leaves the bag and climbs on his mother's back where he holds on tightly.
The baby koala is nervous when she first leaves the pouch. Life outside the pouch is new and interesting, and the curious baby looks around. She feel safest between her mother's front legs.
When a cold wind begins to blow it squeezes back inside the pouch to warm up.
Three months later, she feels safe and can feed on her own.
It stays with the mother until the next mating period.
Relationship between mom and baby koala
The mother and the koala cubs are extremely connected to each other. The mother voluntarily carries her baby everywhere with her until they become independent.
They are asocial animals, and bonding exists only between mothers and dependent offspring.
Pregnant and lactating females are particularly aggressive and attack individuals that come too close. In general, however, koalas tend to avoid energy-wasting aggressive behavior.
Did you know?
The newborn koala is as heavy as a bean, only 0.3 grams. His back legs are barely formed while the front ones with claws are well developed.
It comes to the bag, following the trail of saliva with which his mother marked his way.
Young koalas squeak when in distress. As they get older, the squeak develops into a "squawk" produced both when in distress and to show aggression.
Koalas never drink water.
They got all the necessary liquid from the eucalyptus leaf.
Koala in the language of Aboriginal, Australian natives, means - "do not drink"
The koala mates at night high in the treetops, emitting loud screams and grunting and barking sounds.
Koalas strongly smell of musk and eucalyptus. This prevents fleas and other parasites from settling in their fur. Koala is a great swimmer.
Ironically, the fate is that most animals die in the nature reserves where visitors run over them by car.
Although seemingly cute and soft animals, adults have a very rough voice. They produce a sharp scream reminiscent of sawing.
Koalas Lifestyle
Behavior: out of the mating season is a solitary tree resident.
They sleep almost 20 hours a day.
The koala is extremely skilled at climbing in trees
The koala embraces the branch with its front paws and then draws the hind in a series of small jumps
The thumb and forefinger are facing away from the other fingers
They have a big toe on their hind legs that spreads and leans on the branch with it
Where they live?
Koalas live in the higher parts of the eucalyptus canopy whose leaves are their only food.
With his strong dexterous hind legs he leans against a tree and plunges sharp claws into the bark of a tree.
A koala is an animal that is active mostly at night
That's why the day sleeps on the branches
At night it climbs to the highest branches in the canopy where it feeds on shoots and young leaves.
What they eat?
Even a year old koala is still held on its mother's back
The extra weight does not prevent the female from climbing trees.
During the evolution of the koala, it dug pockets in the cheeks for food storage. Its digestive system is such that it can live by feeding only on eucalyptus leaves.
She is very picky. out of 700 species of eucalyptus, it uses only 70 for food. Even the leaves at a certain stage of growth.
Koalas can eat large amounts of leaves a day about 500 - 1000 g and therefore they often run out of food.
Therefore, measures should be taken to transport them to areas where there is enough food.
Koalas may also store food in their cheek pouches before it is ready to be chewed.
The partially worn molars of middle-aged koalas are optimal for breaking the leaves into small particles, resulting in more efficient stomach digestion and nutrient absorption in the small intestine which digests the eucalyptus leaves to provide most of the animal's energy.
A koala sometimes regurgitates the food into the mouth to be chewed a second time.
Koalas and People
About a hundred years ago, the koala was a widespread animal in Australia. especially in Victoria and New South Wales. The settlement of people in these productions has greatly contributed to the drastic reduction of koalas populations. Urbanization brought with it the destruction of forests, which reduced the living space of koalas. Many animals were killed for their fur.
In 1914, 2 million pieces of fur were exported. Killing on such a scale almost led to the extinction of the whole species.
The animals are vulnerable to bush fires due to their slow movements and the flammability of eucalyptus trees. The koala instinctively seeks refuge in the higher branches, where it is vulnerable to intense heat and flames.
Today, koalas are a highly endangered species and due to recent fires in Australia, the authorities have decided on specific protection measures.
Residence
Queensland coastal area of New South Wales Victoria and parts of South Australia.
It is most commonly found in New South Wales and Victoria.
Because of its distinctive appearance, the koala is recognized worldwide as a symbol of Australia
Koalas can be found in habitats ranging from relatively open forests to woodlands, and in climates ranging from tropical to cool temperate. In semi-arid climates, they prefer riparian habitats, where nearby streams and creeks provide refuge during times of drought and extreme heat.
Types of koalas
Traditionally, there are three types of koalas : the Queensland koala the New South Wales koala and the Victorian koala . These forms are distinguished by fur color and thickness, body size, and skull shape.
The Queensland koala is the smallest of the three, with shorter, silver fur and a shorter skull.
The Victorian koala is the largest, with shaggier, brown fur and a wider skull.
The boundaries of these variations are based on state borders, and their status as subspecies is disputed.
Koalas from Victoria are twice as heavy as those from Queensland
Some interesting facts about koala bears
A koala sometimes regurgitates the food into the mouth and chew it for a second time.
They sleep over 19 hours a day and when they wake up -they eat.
On very hot days, a koala may climb down to the coolest part of the tree which is cooler than the surrounding air. The koala hugs the tree to lose heat without panting.
The species is sexually dimorphic, with males 50% larger than females.
Unlike most other marsupials, the koala does not clean her pouch.
Koala has one of the lowest milk energy production rates in relation to body size of any mammal.
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