Koala

Koala

With its lean, muscular body and strong limbs, the Koala is well suited to life in the trees. Front and hind legs are almost equal in length, with 5-digit paws specially adapted for grip. Rough pads on the palms and soles and long claws on each digit help the Koala grip tree branches and trunks. On each front paw, 2 fingers act like thumbs to enable a tighter grip.

The greatest threat to Koalas is loss of habitat, cut down for agriculture or housing. Since European settlement, about 80% of their habitat has disappeared, and little of the remaining 20% is protected.  A disease called Chlamydia is also contributing to the Koala’s declining numbers.

Did you know?

  • Koalas’ fur is different according to their habitat. It is longer and thicker in the south, where winters are colder.
  • Koala vocalisation sounds like a combination of a very loud snore and a burp, and is called a ‘bellow’.
  • The brain of a koala of average size weighs only 17 grams.
  • Koalas are not bears!  They are marsupials, and give birth to tiny, barely formed young that finish development outside the mother’s body, in a pouch.

  • Koalas are mainly nocturnal. They spend about 18-20 hours sleeping because their metabolism is slow, an adaptation for handling a diet that is low in nutrition and hard to digest.

Class
Mammalia
Order

Diprotodontia

Family

Phascolarctidae

Species Name

Phascolarctos cinereus

Status

Near threatened