Koala
Scientific Name: Phascolarctos cinereus
About Koala
Koala is one of the most iconic animals in the world. Thay are called idle and there is popular snack shaped koalas called 'Koalas' march' in Japan. They also appears in various games, advertisements and animations.
Features
The koala is an adorable animal with a stocky body, a large head, round fluffy ears and a large spoon-shaped nose, instantly recognisable as an Australian symbol. Koalas are an integral part of the Australian bush where they perch high in the branches of gum trees (eucalyptus seed trees) and sleep up to 20 hours a day.
A common mistake is to call them bears. They are not "bears" but a species of "marsupial".
Habitat
Koalas are only found in Australia. If you want to see koalas in the wild, let's go to Australia!
Koalas are culturally important to Australian Aboriginal people and feature in Dreamtime stories, songs and rock art.
About the decline in the population : VU
Being globally iconic is not enough to protect its existence from danger. Koalas are sometimes poached for their fur, and hundreds of thousands were shot dead in the 1920s for the fur trade. Koalas are also now battling the effects of continued excessive logging for agriculture and urban development in several states. Rising temperatures have also played a major role in the decline of the population. Rising temperatures lead to a decrease in nutrients from the koala's staple food, eucalyptus leaves. Other factors such as drought and extreme heat have a significant negative impact on koalas. This climate change can also lead to bushfires caused by high temperatures, dryness and lightning strikes. Dry air also leads to the loss of moisture from fallen leaves, which can lead to larger fires as the friction between dead leaves starts fires that spread to surrounding dead leaves and trees.
Why tree decline is linked to declining koala populations.
The decline in koala habitat means that koalas spend more time on the ground. Koalas can be said to have originally evolved to spend time in the trees as they live their lives in the trees. In other words, they have not evolved to spend time on the ground, and a decrease in tree cover means that koalas are at greater risk of being hit by cars or attacked by wild dogs, which can lead to koala injuries. These also increase stress on koalas, making them more susceptible to disease.
Did you know?
- Koalas can sleep for more than half a day!
Koalas can sleep up to 18 hours a day due to the low nutritional value of the eucalyptus leaves on which they feed.
- Koalas aren't bears, they are marsupials!
Often mistaken for a bear species because of their large round ears and black snout, they actually have more in common with other marsupials such as wombats.
- Koalas can be found only in southeastern or eastern Australia
Koalas are an iconic Australian animal, but there are only a few places in Australia where koalas can be found in the wild on the southeast and eastern sides of Australia, along the Coastlines of Queensland, New South Wales, South Australia and Victoria.
- They have a very supportive butt
Koalas live in trees with rough, overlapping branches, which gives their bodies several distinctive features. One of these is the soft thigh cartilage. The cartilage attached to the tip of the spinal cord is a well-developed bone that sits easily on eucalyptus.
- Fussy eaters.
Koalas can eat up to 1 kg of eucalyptus leaves a day. This is very impressive as eucalyptus is a poisonous plant for most animals. Their cecum has a special function to detoxify the chemicals in eucalyptus leaves. However, they eat less than 50 of the more than 700 species of eucalyptus. They particularly like to eat the leaves at the top of the tree, which are more nutritious for them.
- 'Koala' means 'no drink' in the local Australian language.
Koalas were given this name because they were thought to consume only the water available from the eucalyptus leaves. However, when necessary, they will take water from various sources, especially during heatwaves and droughts.
- Baby koalas are too cute (this is an indisputable fact).
Baby koalas are called 'joeys' and grow for about six months in their mother's pouch. They then spend the next six months on their mother's back and the pouch is used only for eating and sleeping.
- Koala populations are declining!
Due to deforestation and disease, the number of koalas is declining year by year. Subsequently, Australia experienced the biggest bushfires ever. This caused the death of nearly three billion animals, many of which are found nowhere else in the world. Many Australian species, such as koalas, are threatened with extinction.Let's turn this situation around.
What is marsupial
A common feature of these species is that they carry their young in a pouch.
Other marsupial animals mentioned include kangaroos, wombats, owl foxes, wallabies and momongas, which are found only in Australia and the Americas.
Citation
“Koala.” Wwf.org.au, 2022, www.wwf.org.au/what-we-do/species/koala. Accessed 20 Mar. 2022.
10 koala-ty facts about koalas. Wwf.org.au. Published 2022. Accessed March 20, 2022. https://www.wwf.org.au/news/blogs/10-interesting-facts-about-koalas#gs.xmxx0vs
Kent, Lauren. “Koala Populations in Decline Due to Human Impacts.” CNN, Cable News Network, 29 Oct. 2020,