Koalas

Koalas are Mammals. They have fur, are warm blooded, and give birth to live young. Koalas are a special type of Mammal called a Marsupial. Female marsupials have a pouch where their babies grow until they are large enough to live on their own (at around 6 months years old). This pouch is upside down which stops dirt from getting into the pouch.

Healthy females can produce one baby koala per year for up to 12 years. The gestation period is only 35 days. A baby koala is called a joey. When a marsupial gives birth, the baby is less than an inch long, has no hair, is blind, and resembles a worm. The joey climbs up the mom's fur into the pouch where it attaches to a teat and drinks milk until it is large enough to eat food.

Koalas are found along the east coast of Australia and as far inland as there is enough rainfall to support forests.

A koala will live somewhere between 13-18 years.

A koala's diet consists of primarily eucalyptus leaves. Eucalyptus leaves are low in protein, high with indigestible substances, and contain chemicals toxic to most other animals. Average koalas eat 500 grams of eucalyptus leaves every day.

A koala's natural predators consist of dingoes, wild dogs, and large owls. Unfortunately though, motor vehicles and people are more of a threat to koalas than these predators. Cars kill thousands of koalas a year and many koalas are hunted for their beautiful furs.

The koala population is threatened in some parts of Australia, but as a whole, the koala population is listed as "Lower Risk / Near Threatened." The total population is estimated to be in the hundreds of thousands.

The koala is one of the few mammals that have fingerprints. Koala fingerprints look remarkably similar to human fingerprints.

Koalas' will sleep up to 18 hours a day.

The word "Koala" is an aboriginal word meaning "No drink" because koalas get most of their water from the eucalyptus they eat and are rarely seen to drink.

Koala's are NOT bears.

	Koalas