A tribe of bad ones. South African Bubal tribe

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04/26/2016 at 13:13 Moscow time 5 816

The koala animal, or as it is commonly called the marsupial bear, is the only representative of its kind. He received comparisons with him due to his resemblance to the plush creature.

His striking appearance brings him closer to soft toy. The body of the animal is not large, its weight reaches 12 - 13 kg, with a height of 71 cm.

Appearance

The koala has a flattened muzzle, impressive ears, covered with thick fur. A black, smooth, elongated nose can boast of its lack of hair.

The bamboo eyes are small in diameter, round shape. The color is dark brown. The color of the fur coat can be ashy and even reddish, but it itself is short. The fur on the belly is lighter.

Another one distinguishing feature The animal koala is a tail, barely noticeable on the body. The claws are sharp on the front paws - curved, the thumb and forefinger are spread out, which makes it easier to climb trees well, and on the fingers hind legs they are missing. They swim great. They can even gallop to the desired object if they are unable to jump.

Environment and habitat

Koalas are constantly on the tree trunk. Much of the time they sleep or simply chew leaves. The bamboo bear can be found directly in the tropical forests. They inhabit the continent of Australia, mainly its southern and eastern region. They are endemic. That is, you will not see them anywhere else.

The Australian koala bear appeared more than 15 million years ago, but extermination at the beginning of the last century reduced the population, now you can’t find them in the West of the country

Many islands are inhabited artificially, transported from Victoria. Koala animals live near the coast, which dispels the popular myth that they do not drink water.

Nutrition

As mentioned above, the koala lives in eucalyptus plantations, and eats bark and greens containing toxic substances (fenoterols, hydrocyanic acid).

Endowed with a special sense of smell, mammals find young shoots where the level of toxicity is reduced. The microflora in the koala animal's stomach even copes with cellulose; the liver absorbs and processes toxic waste.

This, of course, does not exclude the possibility of poisoning, but still the risks are minimal. Receiving up to 90% of moisture from the leaves, the animals still come down to drink. Sometimes a koala may eat the ground to make up for the deficiency of important components.

Reproduction

The animal leads a solitary lifestyle and Fewer males are born. During the mating season from October to February, they gather in groups. For one male there are 3-4 females. They choose the strongest by smell. Fertilization occurs once every few years.

Bears offspring for a month and there is one, rarely a pair of cubs in the litter. Up to six months, a newborn koala eats breast milk and travels in mom's bag, which opens into reverse side. After 7 months, eucalyptus pulp is added to the diet, which enters the baby’s body through the mother’s excrement. By the age of one year the baby becomes independent.

Enemies

Peace-loving animals do not have them. The meat of the koala animal is saturated with poisons, so predators are in no hurry to taste it. Except maybe dingoes.

People used to hunt, and many skins were transported to the east. Because of their gullibility, they were a good target. Their sedentary lifestyle and only 6 hours of wakefulness make them terribly phlegmatic. Natural disasters- droughts, fires, contribute to extinction.

Lifespan

The koala is a marsupial animal that lives on average 13 years; there are also old-timers - 20 years. They are susceptible to eye diseases, respiratory system, genitourinary, which shortens their period.

Red Book

The koala animal is listed in the Red Book. In order for there to be an increase in natural conditions, nature reserves have been created even in California (San Diego).

1. Fingerprints are similar to human prints and cannot be distinguished even under a microscope.
2. When they are depressed, they make sounds similar to a baby crying.
3. The marsupial bear dies in fires without running away, they only hold on tighter to the tree trunk.
4. The brain of the beast is only 0.2% by mass.
5. But they can be tamed and become attached to humans.
6. They have an unusual structure of the genital organs, two pairs each in the female and male.

The marsupial bear is one of Australia's most famous animals. Despite the external resemblance to ordinary bears, this representative of the Australian fauna has nothing to do with them. The eucalyptus bear is found only in certain parts of Australia and few people have the opportunity to see this miracle of nature with their own eyes.

The marsupial bear is one of Australia's most famous animals.

Not every zoo can provide these animals with the amount of eucalyptus leaves they need. Koalas demand special attention from the human side, since they are an endangered species. Their numbers were able to increase only recently, when measures were taken to ban hunting and protect the eucalyptus forests that serve as home to these amazing creatures.

What do we know about marsupial bears (video)

History of the development of the species

The marsupial is a two-incisor marsupial and is the only living member of the koala family. The modern eucalyptus bear is a small animal. The weight of adult individuals varies from 5 to 14 kg. Females are usually smaller than males. In the process of evolution, these animals' bodies were ideally adapted for living in a tree and eating low-nutrient foliage. For a long time, these creatures were believed to be related to pandas, kangaroos and opossums, but this is not true.

Archaeological excavations in different parts Australia. Thanks to fossilized remains, it became known that the first marsupial bears began to appear in this territory approximately 30 million years ago. In those distant times, more than 18 species of koalas lived on this remote continent, and some of them were real and giants. They were 30 times larger in size than their contemporaries.

It is believed that the giant marsupial bears became extinct due to climate change, which became excessively dry, as the eucalyptus trees they bypassed and some other plant species began to rapidly disappear.

During this period, many marsupials that had successfully survived in the vastness of this continent for millions of years became extinct. The plush-looking modern koalas only appeared in Australia 15 million years ago. This species turned out to be the most successful, and therefore outlived its relatives. Australian koalas, unlike their ancient relatives, have a relatively small brain. Scientists attribute this to the fact that animals eat low-calorie eucalyptus leaves and lead little food. active image life, so they simply do not need a developed brain.

The marsupial is a two-incisor marsupial and is the only living member of the koala family.

These creatures have beautiful rich fur gray, making them difficult to detect in foliage. They were first described in the 19th century, when the new continent was being actively explored. Because of their beautiful, warm coat, by the beginning of the 20th century, koalas were almost universally exterminated. Their fur long time was perhaps Australia's most valuable export product, which had an extremely negative impact on this species. In addition, their numbers were negatively affected by the widespread destruction of eucalyptus forests.

Among other things, the attractive appearance and gentle disposition led to the fact that many people in the 20th century wanted to acquire such a pet. However, keeping a koala at home is almost impossible. These marsupial herbivores only consume leaves certain types eucalyptus trees, so when trying to home care the animals, as a rule, quickly died from exhaustion.

Gallery: marsupial bear (25 photos)

Habitat of koalas in nature

The natural habitat of the koala bear is extremely limited. These amazing creatures found predominantly in coastal areas in eastern and southern Australia. There is a small population of koalas in the north of the continent. In addition, koala bears are currently found on a number of coastal islands, where optimal conditions have been created for them.

Koalas feed exclusively on eucalyptus leaves, so their habitat is limited to humid tropical and subtropical forests, in which there are many trees that can become a food source for them.

The koala tree - eucalyptus - can only grow in regions with high humidity, so only in individual regions these animals can thrive, which puts them in conflict with human interests. There are several types of eucalyptus trees, which different time animals eat for years. This is no coincidence. Leaves individual species Eucalyptus plants are characterized by a reduced amount of hydrocyanic acid only for a short period of time.

Despite the fact that the koala bear can determine the degree of toxicity of foliage by smell, poisoning in these animals is not uncommon.

Plush-looking modern koalas appeared in Australia only 15 million years ago.

In addition, it is known that of the almost 800 species of eucalyptus, the koala can feed on the leaves and bark of only 120 species. Vast areas of forest in south-eastern Australia were cleared in the 20th century, which adversely affected the life of the koala. To increase their numbers, these animals were brought to a number of coastal islands with dense eucalyptus forests, where marsupial bears are less susceptible to anthropogenic influence, which allows them to gradually increase their numbers.

Islands where koalas were settled by people include:

• Yanchep;
• Kangaroo;
• Tasmania;
• Magnetic island.

Thanks to environmental measures, the habitat of this species currently exceeds 1 million/m². Despite the fact that these unique animals could have gone extinct in the middle of the 20th century, now their numbers are gradually recovering.

Koala in the wild of Australia (video)

Reproduction and habits of koalas

The Australian eucalyptus bear leads a secretive lifestyle, so for a long time little was known about their behavior. These creatures are covered with thick fur 3 cm long, which makes them invisible in the foliage. During the day they eat about 1.5 kg of young leaves and bark of eucalyptus trees. These creatures sleep approximately 18-20 hours a day. It is currently unknown how long koalas live in their natural environment a habitat.

In captivity at creation optimal conditions Koalas often live to be 18 years old. In their natural habitat, koalas have no enemies, so they do not know how to defend themselves. Despite the fact that koalas have long claws and strong prehensile paws designed for climbing trees, when attacked, these animals simply do not know what to do. When severely frightened or injured, the koala makes a sound similar to the cry of a human child. In addition, koalas can cry.

For most of the year, koala bears are extremely silent and try not to give away their location in the eucalyptus thickets, but during the breeding season everything changes. At this time, the males begin to make inviting grunting sounds, demonstrating their strength. Considering that colas usually live nearby, since their habitat is quite limited, this method is very effective. Female koalas are ready to breed in their second year of life. Mating occurs 1-2 times a year. Males can mate at 3-4 years of age. During the breeding season, male koalas can get into fights, causing serious injuries to rivals with their claws.

Females ready to mate listen to the calls of roaring males and choose the most major representatives. Pregnancy in female koalas lasts from 30 to 35 days. Koala cubs are born very underdeveloped, so they can look very strange by human standards.

After birth, the cub, which has only developed front legs, clings to the thick fur of its mother, crawls into the pouch, where it begins to feed on milk. At this time, its weight is about 5 g, and its length ranges from 15-18 mm.

Koala bears are marsupials. Their offspring are fed in a pouch for 5-6 months. After the baby leaves the pouch, it continues to travel on its mother's back for about 6 months. Thus, a koala with a baby is a common occurrence. At this time, a transition period begins.

The mother begins to feed the cub with undigested droppings made from eucalyptus leaves, which contain the necessary bacteria for the cub that are involved in digestion. Typically, females stay with their mother for about a year, after which they begin to look for a territory. Males can stay with their mother for about two years, since they lead a predominantly nomadic lifestyle and are not tied to a specific area.

Attention, TODAY only!

The koala or marsupial bear (Phascolarctos cinereus) is the only species of the koala family, the koala lives in eastern Australia.
The koala is a small, densely built animal, body length 60–82 cm, weight from 5 to 16 kg. The koala's tail is very short, invisible from the outside, the head is large and wide, the ears are large, and the eyes are small. Hairline Koalas are thick and soft, on the back the color varies from light gray to dark gray, sometimes reddish or reddish, the belly is lighter.

The size and color of a koala depends on its habitat, so koalas are larger, they have thicker fur of a dark gray color, often with a brownish tint on the back. In tropical and subtropical koalas, koalas are much smaller and lighter, their fur is less frequent and shorter.

The koala's limbs are adapted to climbing - large and index fingers front and hind limbs are opposed to the rest, which allows the koala to grasp the branches of trees, on thumb the hind limbs have no claw. The claws are strong and sharp, capable of supporting the weight of the animal. Koalas are one of the few non-primates to have a papillary pattern on their fingertips, and koala fingerprints are indistinguishable from human fingerprints even under an electron microscope.

The koala is called a marsupial bear because the koala's muzzle slightly resembles a bear, and the location of the brood pouch and dental formula make it similar to the koala, with which it apparently had a common ancestor.

Koalas inhabit eucalyptus forests and spend almost their entire lives in the crowns of these trees. During the day, the koala sleeps 18–22 hours a day, and at night it climbs trees, looking for food. Even if the koala is not sleeping, it usually sits completely motionless for hours, grasping a branch or tree trunk with its front paws. The koala descends to the ground only to move to a new tree, which it cannot reach, and koalas jump from tree to tree with surprisingly dexterity and confidence.

The koala's slowness is associated with its feeding habits. It has adapted to feed almost exclusively on eucalyptus shoots and leaves, which are fibrous and low in protein, but contain many phenolic and terpene compounds that are poisonous to most animals. In addition, young shoots, especially closer to autumn, contain hydrocyanic acid. Due to their poisonous properties, the koala has extremely little food competition from other animals - besides it, only the ring-tailed possum and the marsupial flying squirrel feed on eucalyptus leaves.

To avoid poisoning, koalas choose to eat only those types of eucalyptus trees that contain fewer phenolic compounds, and prefer trees growing on fertile soils (especially along river banks), whose leaves contain a lower concentration of poison than eucalyptus trees growing on poor, infertile soils. lands. As a result, of the 800 species of eucalyptus, koalas feed on only 120 species. Choose suitable food Koalas apparently benefit from a developed sense of smell. In captivity, where the animal usually has fewer choices, it can even become food poisoning as a result of a cumulative effect.
The koala's metabolic rate is almost half that of most mammals (with the exception of wombats and sloths), which helps it compensate for the low nutritional value of its diet. A koala needs from 0.5 to 1.1 kg of leaves per day, which it carefully crushes and chews, accumulating the resulting mass in its cheek pouches. Like all mammals that eat fibrous plant foods, koalas have a rich microflora in their digestive tract, including bacteria that convert indigestible cellulose into digestible compounds. The cecum, where the digestion process takes place, is extremely developed, reaching a length of 2.4 m. Toxic substances, entering the blood, are neutralized in the liver.

“Koala” in the tribal language means “not to drink” - the koala gets all the moisture it needs from the leaves of eucalyptus trees, as well as from the dew on the leaves. They drink water only during periods of prolonged drought and during illness. To make up for the deficit minerals in the body, koalas eat soil from time to time.

There is no natural regulator of the number of these animals in nature - native predators do not hunt them; Koalas are attacked only by dingoes and feral dogs. But koalas often get sick. Cystitis, cranial periostitis, conjunctivitis, sinusitis - their common illnesses; Sinusitis often leads to pneumonia, especially in cold winter.

Female koalas lead a solitary lifestyle and stick to their own areas, which they rarely leave. In fertile areas, the sites of individual individuals often overlap each other. Males are not territorial, but even less sociable - when they meet, especially during the breeding season, they often attack each other, causing injury.

Only during the breeding season, which lasts from October to February, koalas gather in groups consisting of an adult male and several females. At this time, males often rub their chests against trees, leaving odorous marks, and emit loud calling calls, sometimes heard a kilometer away. Since fewer males are born than females, harems of 2-5 females gather around male koalas during the mating season. Mating takes place on a tree (not necessarily eucalyptus).

Pregnancy lasts 30-35 days. There is only one cub in the litter, which at birth is only 15–18 mm long and weighs about 5.5 g; occasionally twins. The cub remains in the pouch for 6 months, feeding on milk, and then “travels” for another six months on the mother’s back or stomach, clinging to her fur. At 30 weeks of age, he begins to eat his mother’s semi-liquid excrement, consisting of a kind of gruel from semi-digested eucalyptus leaves, in this way digestive tract young koalas are exposed to microorganisms necessary for the digestive process. The mother excretes this pulp for about a month. At the age of one year, the cubs become independent - young females at the age of 12-18 months go in search of sites, but males often remain with their mothers until they are 2-3 years old.
Koalas breed once every 1-2 years. Puberty in females it occurs at 2-3 years, in males at 3-4 years. On average, a koala lives 12-13 years, although there are cases where they live up to 20 years of age.

Inhabitant of eucalyptus trees. Yes, yes, this is exactly how you can briefly talk about koalas. These medium-sized marsupial cubs live in, and after artificial settlement by humans, their populations appeared on the island.

Koala a herbivore belonging to the class of marsupials. There is an opinion that the name koala, translated from the Aboriginal language, means that they do not drinking water. Koala, photo which is presented below, still drinks water, she especially likes to collect dew from eucalyptus leaves.

This name for the animal was proposed by the Frenchman Henri Blainville, who is a specialist in the field of zoology and animal anatomy. The first inhabitants of the mainland called the koala tree bear.

Koala is often called tree bear

History of koalas

Koalas belong to the koala family, which are absolutely identical to the family. Modern paleontologists count about 19 different koala species and the most common one, on this moment The species is called Phascolarctos cinereus, which is Latin for tree-walking.

The geography of the bear cub is not great. Koala lives and breeds actively in New South Wales. Some species of koalas are found in Queensland and Victoria. At the very beginning of the anthropogenic period, with a completely different climate, koala bear also lived in western Australia.

Appearance and character of the koala

The appearance of koalas is similar to very large wombats or small ones. However, their fur is much longer, thicker and softer to the touch. Koalas have elongated limbs, which helps them move through trees with ease.

They have large rounded ears and long arched claws that are capable of holding individuals weighing from 5 to 15 kilograms. The koala's upper paws are divided into two parts and are perfectly adapted for living in trees. Lower paws much shorter and weaker, but this is not a disadvantage.

One of interesting features is a koala's paw print, because it is absolutely identical to a human fingerprint. Koala teeth are the same format as those of a kangaroo or wobmate. Sharp and strong incisors, easily cutting leaves, are typical of the order of two-incisor marsupials.

Koala fingerprints are identical to human prints

One more unique feature endowed with koalas. We are talking about the binary nature of their genitals. In koalas it is very pronounced. Females have two vaginas that lead to two separate uteruses. Males, in turn, have a forked penis, and these unusual features delight inexperienced lovers of the animal world and zoology.

It is also impossible not to note the record small brain of this animal. It makes up only two tenths of a percent of the koala's total weight. Experts believe that at the beginning of evolution it was much larger, but due to little activity when choosing food, the brain shrank and made the koala one of the negative record holders in the brain size competition among representatives of marsupials.

The lifespan of a tree bear cub reaches 18 years. Koalas very rarely make sounds, with the exception of situations when the animal is frightened or injured. Males scream during mating periods, as the female chooses the loudest and most powerful male for herself.

Lifestyle and nutrition of koalas

Koalas spend most of their lives in the canopy of trees, mainly eucalyptus. During the day, these animals are passive; they can sit or sleep on a tree for up to 15 hours, practically without moving. In cases when it is not possible to reach a neighboring tree in order to move to another branch, the koala slowly and reluctantly descends to the ground, as if fighting laziness.

However, in case of danger, the animal can quickly climb a tree and jump to another. Koalas are also capable of crossing water, but some force majeure circumstance may force them to swim; they will not do this for pleasure.

Koala is one of the laziest animals

According to scientists, such active passivity of this animal is due to the abundance of food, which does not require unnecessary movements to obtain it. By feeding on leaves and young shoots of eucalyptus, all processes in the koala’s body are inhibited. This is due to the fact that all the effort and energy goes into processing poisonous eucalyptus leaves, which contain phenolic and terpene compounds.

And eucalyptus shoots contain a high concentration of hydrocyanic acid. In addition to koalas, they also eat such poisonous food, so the competition is not great, and accordingly, why bother. So the koalas rest peacefully on the branches.

Social structure and reproduction of koalas

Koalas are solitary by nature and nature. They do not create families, they each live on their own. This applies to both females and males. They do not have a clear, protected territory, and only during the mating season and for reproduction, koalas gather in separate groups, such unique harems.

They consist of 3-5 individuals, one is male and the rest are females. The females were attracted by the scent of the male, which remained on the branches. The male rubs his chest against the branches, releasing breathtaking odors for the opposite sex.

The cry of males is also important. Females choose the appropriate scent and cry of the male for themselves and agree to mate. The whole process also takes place on wood. A month after conception, the female gives birth to one cub; twins are very rare and females are born more often than males.

Newborn koalats weigh about 6 grams and their body length is about 2 centimeters. For the next six months, the babies stay in their mother’s pouch, feeding on milk. They then settle down on the back or stomach of their parent and roll around there for some time. At 30-31 weeks, babies feed on the mother's feces, which begins to produce unusually thin and soft excrement.

Why do they do this, you ask? It turns out that this process is necessary for the subsequent digestion process of an adult koala. So in digestive system, namely, the microorganisms necessary for processing poisonous eucalyptus enter the intestines.

In the photo there is a koala with a baby

A year later, young females go to develop their own area with eucalyptus trees for an independent life, and the males spend another year or two next to their mother, until they reach full puberty, and only after that they part.

On average, koalas live for about 14 years. Bears breed once every 1-2 years. There have been recorded cases of koalas living up to 21 years. In Russia, the koala can only be found in the zoo. You can also see below video about koala.

The koala is a herbivorous marsupial that moves along tree branches. Their habitat is the Australian continent. Sometimes the koala is called a “marsupial bear,” although these animals have nothing in common with bears. The koala is the only species of animal in the Koala family.

IN currently, there are about 100,000 individuals left. But this number is constantly decreasing according to the most various reasons. Therefore, they try to treat these animals as carefully as possible.

Scientific classification of koala

1. Kingdom: Animals.
2. Type: Chordata.
3. Subphylum: Vertebrates.
4. Class: Mammals.
5. Subclass: Marsupials.
6. Order: Two-incisor marsupials.
7. Family: Koalas.
8. Genus: Koalas.
9. Species: Koala.

Characteristics of the koala family.

All koalas, without exception, are quite small in size. Their average length is 70-73 cm. The weight of an adult koala is approximately 6-15 kg (depending on the amount of food consumed).

As already mentioned: the koala is the only species of this family. But previously the koala family included several more species. Unfortunately, all representatives except the koala have become extinct.

Koalas, which are now extinct, could weigh more than half a ton. This is 50 times more than the weight of modern koalas!
The koala was first discovered in the late 18th and early 19th centuries.

Typically, koalas have a lifespan of approximately 14 years. But there are also long-livers who die at the age of 20.

The koala's muzzle has a slightly flattened shape, with small eyes and a rather large black nose. The body of these animals is covered almost everywhere with fur. He may have the most various shades: gray, ashen, grayish, etc.

Koala nutrition and lifestyle

Eucalyptus forests are the main habitat of the koala. Literally all their lives they are in the thickets of these trees.

In the first half of the day, koalas sleep (conveniently located in the trees), and at night they move through the trees in search of food. When a koala is awake, he can just sit for hours on end and not even move. This activity takes him more than half of his life. These “bears” are motionless for more than 15 hours a day!

Koalas practically do not move on the ground. The only exception is when moving from one tree to another, when it is impossible to jump over.

Despite some clumsiness of these animals, they jump surprisingly deftly and successfully. In case of danger, they can even go into a gallop. Plus, koalas can swim quite well.

The koala's feeding habits are directly related to its slow lifestyle. Since they feed exclusively on eucalyptus leaves and shoots, which contain very little protein, they cannot lead a more active lifestyle.

For most animals, eucalyptus leaves are real poison. But for “marsupial bears” it is an integral part of the diet.

The koala has very few competitors for such food. The exceptions are: the marsupial flying squirrel and the ring-tailed possum.

The koala also has a very highly developed sense of smell. It is because of this that they choose the least poisonous leaves for their food. This is noticeable by what types of eucalyptus they feed on.

Koalas almost never drink water. They get all the moisture they need from eucalyptus leaves. But sometimes: when koalas are sick or when there is a time of prolonged drought, they still drink water.

Sometimes these animals can even eat soil. This is due to the fact that animals lack minerals in their bodies.