KOALA - MARSUPIAL



The koala (Phascolarctos cinereus) is an iconic Australian animal. 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 found in coastal areas of the mainland's eastern and southern regions, inhabiting Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, and South Australia.
 
CHARACTERISTIC
  • Stout.
  • Tailless body.
  • Large head with round fluffy ears.
  • Large spoon-shaped nose.

  • They have two opposing thumbs on their hands, and both their feet and hands have rough pads and claws to grab onto branches.
  • They have two toes, fused together, on their feet, which they use to comb their fur. 
HABITAT AND DIET
 
  • Koalas typically inhabit open eucalypt woodlands.
  • The leaves of these trees make up most of their diet. 
  • Koalas can eat more than a pound of eucalyptus leaves a day.
  • Eucalyptus is toxic, so the koala’s digestive system has to work hard to digest it, breaking down the toxins and extracting limited nutrients.  
  • Because of that reason koalas sleep so much—they get very little energy from their diet.  
  • Koalas may sleep up to 20 hours a day.

SURVIVAL THREATS
 
Bushmen photographed with their dogs in front of a wall of animal skins (including koala pelts), between 1870 and 1900

  • Koala numbers plummeted in the late 19th and early 20th century from hunting for their fur.


  • Land clearing, logging, and bushfires-especially the devastating 2019-2020 season-have destroyed much of the forest they live in. 
  • Koalas need a lot of space-about a hundred trees per animal-a pressing problem as Australia's woodlands continue to shrink. 
  • Koalas are listed as vulnerable by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature 
  • Predators include dingoes and large owls.

  • They also hit by cars and attacked by dogs.
  •  Chlamydia is widespread in some koala populations and can cause blindness, infertility, and sometimes death. 
CONSERVATION
 

  • Koalas lost substantial portions of their habitat in the 2019-2020 bushfire season and have been identified by the Australian government as one of 113 animals requiring urgent help. 

  • Wildlife hospitals, rescue organizations, zoos, and volunteers have stepped up to care for injured koalas, with the goal of rehabilitating and releasing them back into the wild. 


0 comments