A tribe of bad dancers in Africa. African tribe of bad dancers
Phascolarctos cinereus) - the only one now existing look family of koalas of the order of two-incisor marsupials. European conquerors of Australia discovered the animal in the late 18th and early 19th centuries and called it the “koala bear.” But the koala is not a bear at all. The kinship of the koala with wombats and kangaroos was obvious to scientists already in the first quarter of the century before last.2. Koala can run
Or maybe not run. The metabolic rate in the koala's body is almost two times lower than that of most mammals (with the exception of wombats and sloths), and koalas are usually sedentary, and can go 16-18 hours a day without moving at all. But if necessary, these animals are able to jump from tree to tree, swim and run well.
3. Eating eucalyptus leaves is not easy
Koalas feed almost exclusively on eucalyptus shoots and leaves. These leaves are fibrous and contain little protein. And there are many phenolic and terpene compounds that are poisonous to most animals. In addition, young shoots, especially closer to autumn, contain hydrocyanic acid. It would seem like terrible food - but there is a lot of it (as long as there are eucalyptus forests), and you don’t have to compete with other species for it.
Koala habitat. 
Koala. Photo: Kwing Kwing ( National Geographic).
Eucalyptus leaves, in addition to being poisonous, are very tough. Bacteria living in the intestines help koalas digest them. Immediately after weaning from mother's milk, the body of koala cubs does not yet have the necessary bacteria. Therefore, at first, the cubs feed on their mother’s droppings, thus immediately receiving both semi-digested eucalyptus foliage and the necessary microbiota, which gradually takes root in their intestines.
4. Koalas, similar to cute Cheburashkas, can be aggressive
The koala usually does not waste energy on aggressive behavior. But they are solitary animals, and if a male koala encounters another male, especially during the breeding season, a bloody fight can occur.
Here, even the people who come under your paw will not be happy.
Pregnant and lactating females can also show aggression towards humans.
5. Koalas have good PR, and it's been going on for 100 years.
The world learned that the koala is a nice, harmless animal at the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th centuries. Then the book for children by Australian writer Ethel Charlotte Pedley Dot was published and the Kangaroo (“Dot and Kangaroo”), the main message of which is the need to respect wildlife. Since then, koalas have constantly become heroes of books, films and songs.
Tourists go to Australia, among other things, because koalas live there. Koalas are popular, but they are difficult to keep in zoos due to the feeding habits described above.
Rare man refuses to be photographed with a koala. 6. Koalas were game animals
Koalas were killed for their skins. This animal has thick and beautiful fur. However, already in the 1920s, public opinion in Australia so disapproved of koala hunting that the hunt was stopped.
7. Only dogs hunt koalas
In nature, only dingoes and feral dogs attack koalas.
The video below shows the treatment of an injured koala.
Dog attacks and collisions with cars claim the lives of four thousand koalas every year.
8. Koalas often get sick
Although koalas do not have too many enemies, their life cannot be called safe. Koalas often get sick. They suffer from cystitis, periostitis of the skull, conjunctivitis, and sinusitis. A specialized koala clinic has opened near Sydney, where animals in trouble are treated.
More than 90% of koalas suffer from chlamydia.
9. Koalas have their own immunodeficiency virus - KoRV
Among the threats threatening the species is the koala-infecting retrovirus (KoRV). This is an exogenous virus that can integrate into the koala genome. Research has shown that 80% of captive koala deaths in Queensland are linked to the virus. Weakened animals die from leukemia, lymphoma, malignant tumors and immune system disorders.
10. Koalas are usually silent, but not because they can’t make sounds.
As already mentioned, koalas are solitary animals, often spending most of the day motionless and the rest of the time eating. Therefore, as a rule, they simply have no need to make sounds. However, if necessary, koalas can scream, and very loudly, and also growl so menacingly that other large cats would be jealous if they were found in Australia.
This roar of a koala that wins a fight for a tree is achieved by the presence of an additional pair of vocal cords.
11. Koalas have a small brain
The ratio of brain mass to body mass in koalas is one of the smallest among all marsupials: the weight of the brain is no more than 0.2% of the koala's weight, while the rest of the cranial cavity (about 40%) is filled with cerebrospinal fluid.
Perhaps it was necessary to choose between beauty and intelligence. Photo: Julian G. Wilson, National Geographic.
In the ancestors of the koala, the brain filled the entire skull.
12. The koala genome was sequenced in 2018
For more than five years, an international team of scientists has been sequencing the koala genome. That's over 3.4 billion base pairs and over 26,000 genes (slightly more than humans). An article about this was published in the magazine Nature.
13. Koala population control - relocation and sterilization
Sometimes there are too many koalas. Overpopulation is dangerous for these animals, but they cannot be killed - the measure is too unpopular. Therefore, if necessary, koalas are moved to places where eucalyptus trees grow, but there are no koalas. Sterilization is also practiced.
There are even a lot of koalas. Photo: twitter Queensland Australia.
14. Koalas hug trees for thermoregulation
Observation of koalas using a thermal imager showed that, clinging to a tree trunk, the animal fights high temperature environment. It has been noticed that in hot weather, koalas tend to climb acacia trees - and this is the “coolest” tree available for climbing.
Koalas on the screen of a thermal imager. 16. A koala cannot be a pet.
The koala cannot be legally kept as a pet in Australia or any other country.
Representative of the so-called British royal family Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, his wife Megan and a koala. Australia, 2018. 17. Koalas have two “big” toes on their front paws
The koala is ideally suited to life in trees. The animal’s paws are arranged in an interesting way: on the hand of the front paw there are two “big” toes (with two phalanges) set aside, opposed by three “regular” toes (with three phalanges). All toes of the front paws end in strong claws. On the foot there is one “big” toe, without a claw, and four ordinary toes with claws.
Koala paw. Photo: Javier Delgado Esteban, National Geographic.
18+. Maybe you don't want to know the whole truth about koalas
Male koalas have a bifurcated penis, while females have two vaginas and two separate uteruses.
But in a litter, as a rule, there is only one cub. At birth, the koala is only 15-18 mm long and weighs about 5.5 g. The cub remains in the pouch for six 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. This way in digestive tract young koalas are exposed to microorganisms necessary for their complex digestive process. The mother excretes this pulp for about a month.
Koalas in the forest. Photo: Marin Paunov, National Geographic.
Koalas breed once every 1-2 years. During the breeding season, which lasts from October to February, koalas gather in groups consisting of an adult male and several females.
Such a smart face - you wouldn’t think that there’s almost no brain behind it.
20. Koala guards and studies a special fund
Since the late 1980s, there has been a non-profit organization Australian Koala Foundation, the goal of which is to preserve the koala population. The foundation studies koalas and their diseases, fights to preserve the habitats of this animal, and comes up with legislative initiatives.
Deborah Tabart - director Australian Koala Foundation since 1988. And again about koalas
"Koala" is a word in Russian general kind, that is, the combinations “cute koala” and “evil koala” will be equally literate.
These funny little animals, photos of which can be seen in various publications about animals, are of interest not only to ordinary lovers of the unusual inhabitants of our planet, but also to scientists. Where does the koala live? What does it eat? Which lifestyle do you prefer? We will not leave any of these questions unanswered in our article. We hope that many facts from the life of these charming creatures will be of interest to you.
What continent does the koala live on?
The koala is an animal endemic to Australia. This is the original representative of the Koala family. They live on eucalyptus trees. The koala is a marsupial belonging to the two-incisor order. Its range is mainland Australia, but only its eastern and southern parts.
Before the arrival of Europeans, animals were common in the north and west. Much later, koalas were settled by humans on the territory of Kangaroo Island. Small animals that look like teddy bears arouse universal sympathy. These marsupials spend almost their entire lives in trees, deftly walking along the branches. A koala can live in one tree for many days, and only after clearing its leaves does it change its “home.”
You can’t run far on the ground on short legs, which is why slow koalas often die under the wheels of cars or become easy prey for wild dingoes. The animals devote the night hours to feeding, and the rest of the time they sleep, comfortably sitting in the fork of the branches. Koalas sleep very lightly and wake up at the slightest rustle. They prefer to live alone. Each adult animal has its own grounds, which it marks with secretions of odorous glands. Such a male's area sometimes coincides with the possessions of several females.
What does a koala look like?
These are small animals: their body size is from sixty to eighty centimeters, with a weight of six to fifteen kilograms. Koalas have a very small tail: it is almost invisible behind their lush fur. The animal has funny round ears that are completely covered with fur.
It is impossible to describe what a koala looks like without mentioning the fur of these animals. It is soft and thick, quite durable. The color may vary, but most often shades predominate gray. It is much less common to find an animal with bright red-red fur.
Lifestyle
We found out where the koala lives and what it looks like. It's time to tell how these animals live. Koalas are animals that lead a measured and leisurely lifestyle. They sleep almost the entire day (from 18 to 22 hours). Activity « Teddy bears“They manifest themselves at night, which lasts no more than two hours. As a rule, this is due to the need to find food for themselves.
It's funny that during the so-called periods of wakefulness, koalas practically do not move: they simply sit on the branches, holding onto the trunk with their forelimbs. At the same time, the koala sometimes shows enviable grace and lightness, deftly jumping from one tree (where all the food has been eaten) to another.
Nutrition
As scientists have found, such a leisurely lifestyle of koalas is not accidental. This is due to their diet. What do koalas eat? Why does nutrition have such an impact on their lifestyle? Knowing where koalas live, it is not difficult to answer these questions. The diet of these animals includes only eucalyptus leaves and shoots, which contain almost no protein. In addition, eucalyptus leaves are deadly for the vast majority of animals. This is due to the content in them huge amount phenolic compounds.
Interestingly, not all eucalyptus trees are suitable for koalas. In addition, the animals are very selective in choosing leaves: they are good at recognizing the presence of hydrocyanic acid in them, which is dangerous to life. Moreover, animals are able to estimate its dose. In one night, an adult eats more than 500 g of young shoots and leaves. Special bacteria that develop in the intestines help cope with this volume of roughage plant feed.
It is thanks to the special environment that the leaves turn into a nutritious pulp and are produced necessary for the body proteins. The processed food is stored in the cheek pouches, and to speed up digestion, the koala periodically swallows small pebbles and lumps of earth. Sitting on a peculiar diet of leaves, saturated essential oils, the koala is constantly in lung condition intoxication, which can explain her “lethargy.”
Another interesting fact: given what koalas eat, it would be natural to assume that the animals drink a lot of liquid. However, this is not true: koalas practically do not drink water, except during particularly hot months. Animals have enough fluid, which they receive from plant food.
Security measures
Due to the fact that most of the traditional habitats of these animals were destroyed, only scattered populations have survived today. About a hundred years ago, koalas were on the verge of extinction. The people who were attracted by the soft and expensive fur of these animals were to blame for this. In 1924 alone, over two million koala skins were exported from Australia.
Today, koalas are under special protection; their extermination is prohibited. Koalas are bred in zoos and nature reserves, restoring their populations.
Reproduction
The decline in the number of animals is also explained by the low natural population growth. Almost 90% of females are infertile, and the rest reproduce slowly: they devote a lot of time to nursing the cub, which, as a rule, is the only one in the litter. The mating season for koalas begins in December and ends in March: these months in the southern hemisphere are the end of spring or the beginning of summer. During this period, the dominant male in a certain area mates with females who are ready to breed offspring.
Mating occurs at night, high in a tree, and lasts about half an hour. At this time, partners bark, grumble loudly, scratch and bite. After the marriage sacrament is completed, the couple separates, and from that moment the male forgets about the offspring. After about 35 days, a tiny calf is born and is completely dependent on its mother. A blind and completely naked baby the size of a bean seed weighs no more than 3 grams. His hind limbs at the time of birth they are not yet formed, but the front legs with claws are already well developed.
Having been born, the baby crawls into the mother’s pouch along a path that the caring female licks in her fur, and for six months the baby does not leave the pouch, tightly attached to the mother’s nipple. In the first months he eats exclusively mother's milk, but then the mother begins to feed the baby a gruel of semi-digested leaves secreted with feces.
After six months, the cub comes out, climbs onto the mother’s back and travels with her through the trees. Up to eight months, he periodically hides in the pouch, but later he simply no longer fits in it: he has to stick his head into it to feed on his mother’s milk. From nine months old, the mature animal switches to its own bread. A one-year-old female acquires her own territory, and the young male is kicked out by his mother’s adult suitor during the next mating season.
We answered the main questions of people who are interested in these exotic animals: where does the koala live, what does it look like, how is its life organized. And now we want to introduce you to some Interesting Facts about these animals.
Koalas cannot be seen in European zoos, since eucalyptus trees do not grow in temperate climates, and the animals are at risk of starvation. Outside of Australia, they can only be seen at the San Diego Zoo, where a eucalyptus forest was planted especially for these animals.
Interested in what continent does the koala live on? Correct answer - Australia.
This lives exclusively on the Green Continent unusual marsupial an animal that looks like a small teddy bear. Interestingly, many people consider the koala to be a bear, but is this true?
The appearance of the koala is unique. A small animal, depending on gender and age, weighs from 7 to 16 kilograms.
The koala's head is wide and large, the nose stands out and has a black back, the eyes are small, and the animal's body is covered with fur.
The color of the koala is gray. The coat is short, thick and soft. Koalas live in Australia, where spend their entire lives in trees.
That is why the paws of this animal are strong, and nails are long and sharp. Phascolarctos (from Greek - “bag”) is the scientific name for the genus of koalas. This name was proposed in 1816 year French zoologist Henri Blainville.
Settlers from Britain who settled Australia in the late 18th century they called the koala a bear, because appearance This animal is very reminiscent of the appearance of a clubfoot. To this day, many people, out of habit, classify the koala as a type of bear, but this is wrong.
Interesting fact! 34-24 million years ago, the Phascolarctidae family was quite diverse and included 18 species of marsupial bears. Among them was also the giant Queensland koala Koalemus. It was almost 30 times larger than a modern koala.
Koala is separate species, which is the only modern representative of the family Phascolarctidae. It belongs to the basal family of wombats, related to marsupials.
Where does the koala live?
Koala lives on mainland Australia in its southeastern part, as well as on the nearby Australian islands.
Hundreds of years ago This animal lived throughout the continent, but settlers displaced the animal from its habitat.
Indigenous people of Australia very sensitive to this cute little animal.
Legend has it that the ancestor of the modern koala, who was gigantic in size, helped people get to the mainland.
There is a beast in subtropical rain forests Australia. The preferred habitat of koalas are locations near water where eucalyptus grows. The koala feeds exclusively on eucalyptus leaves.
Almost all my life This “bear” spends time in the crowns of this plant. The animal descends from the trees only to find another secluded place.
It is important to know! When koalas are kept in captivity and are forced to eat eucalyptus leaves, this can threaten the animal with poisoning.
Daily norm eucalyptus, which is eaten by a koala, contains a toxic compound(hydrocyanic acid) in such quantities that could become instant poison for any other animal. Zoologists suggest that it is precisely because of this that the koala is not a potential prey for predators.
They choose habitats for koalas in the crowns of eucalyptus trees, which grow on fertile soils. Their leaves contain less poison, but you need to find useful plant helps the animal well-developed sense of smell. The daily requirement of eucalyptus leaves for a koala is 1 kg, and this animal practically does not consume water.
Characteristic features and lifestyle of the animal
There are a number of features of the koala that highlight it significantly even from endemics of Australia.
Firstly, papillary fingerprint pattern Koalas are practically no different from humans.
Another feature of the koala is that even a huge koala cub is always born the size of bean grain and weighs 6 grams.
First the cub a long period is in mother's pouch, and then climbs onto the mother’s back.
Since the koala lives in fairly quiet places where there are no arboreal predators, its movements are smooth and calm. Koala sleeps on eucalyptus branches up to twenty hours a day.
Interesting fact! Sedentary image The life of a koala is explained by the fact that the metabolism of this animal is quite slow. That is why koalas are able to remain motionless for three to four hours.
It is also interesting that, despite a fairly relaxed lifestyle, in life-threatening moments, these animals capable of jumping quickly and nimbly.
Koala conservation in Australia
In the 19th and 20th centuries, the koala, like the platypus, exterminated for fur.
Only for 1924 from eastern territories More than two million skins of this animal were exported to Australia.
When the number of koalas decreased noticeably, and this happened by 1927, the country’s authorities prohibited from exterminating this beast.
The koala population is starting to bounce back only in the middle of the 20th century, although today this animal has a lower risk status and is considered endangered.
Threats to koala reproduction today include deforestation, fires and ticks. Most comfortable conditions for koalas to live - these are the Kounu (Perth) and Lone Pine (Brisbane) koala parks. Protects koalas throughout the country international organization entitled Australian Koala Foundation.
Australia is a territory of unique marsupial animals, including one of the most popular animals is a koala. A sedentary lifestyle, a strict eucalyptus diet and an appearance resembling soft toy, made this representative of the Australian fauna famous throughout the world.
In conclusion, we invite you to look at a few funny videos about cute marsupial bears:
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 an inactive lifestyle, 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 fine, rich gray fur, making them difficult to spot in the 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.
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If a competition were held among the representatives of the animal world of our planet for the cutest animal, then the koala, or the Australian marsupial, would probably take one of the prizes there. After all, he looks so much like a little teddy bear, so beloved by children. Did you know that the word “koala” from one of the Australian aboriginal languages is translated as “does not drink”? That is, so indigenous Australians (by the way, far from our European depravity alcoholic drinks) this animal was nicknamed because it almost never drinks water, although zoologists later found that, albeit occasionally, koalas do drink water.
Koala: description, structure, characteristics. What does a koala look like?
Although the koala is called a marsupial bear, or an Australian bear, due to some external similarity, it has nothing to do with real bears; the koala and the bear are not even distant relatives. The koala belongs to the family of marsupials, which is represented by three species: koalas themselves, wombats and kangaroos. The wombat is the closest relative of the koala.
The appearance of the koala is very unusual. Its fur is short and thick, usually gray, smoky in color, but there are koalas with brown shades. But her belly is always white.
The body length of the koala is 60-85 cm, with a weight of up to 14 kg.
The koala's eyes are small and blind, vision is not its greatest advantage, but poor vision Koalas are fully compensated by their excellent hearing and sense of smell. Big ears Koalas are located on the edges of her head and are also covered with hair. The koala also has a large flattened black nose.
Koala teeth are ideal for eating plants; however, all marsupials, including wombats, these closest relatives of koalas, have a similar tooth structure.
And since koalas live mainly in trees, nature gave them tenacious front paws with long claws (promoting tenacity). Each koala's front paw has two double phalanges. thumbs and three standard fingers with three phalanges. The hind legs are arranged differently - on the koala’s foot there is only one thumb, and devoid of nails, and four ordinary fingers. Thanks to their tenacious front paws, koalas easily cling to tree branches and in this position they dine, rest and even sleep.
Does a koala have a tail? Yes, there is, but only the koala's tail is so short that it is practically invisible under the fur.
Where do koalas live?
All koalas, as well as the entire family of marsupials in general, live on only one continent - Australia.
History of the discovery of koalas
Interestingly, the discoverer of Australia, the famous English navigator James Cook, never discovered koalas, despite the fact that there were plenty of koalas at his landing site. Well, Captain Cook was just unlucky to meet them. And the first European to see these unique animals with his own eyes was the English naval officer Barallier. In 1820 he sent dead body koalas to the Governor of New South Wales, a year later a live koala was caught for the first time. Since then, this unique animal has become the subject of passion and research of many European zoologists.
How long do koalas live?
The lifespan of a koala in the wild is 13-18 years.
What does a koala eat?
What do koalas eat? All of them are herbivorous vegetarians, and their main source of food is the shoots and leaves of eucalyptus. Interestingly, koalas have practically no food competitors, since eucalyptus leaves, which contain little protein and also contain hydrocyanic acid, are not interesting for other herbivores. But even among eucalyptus trees, not all leaves and shoots are suitable for food for koalas; thanks to their well-developed sense of smell, they are able to select the least toxic among them. In general, according to zoologists, koalas eat only 120 species of eucalyptus out of 800 found in nature.
A koala eats from 0.5 to 1.1 kg of leaves per day, and this is relatively little, but since all koalas are phlegmatic and inactive, this is enough for them. Also, sometimes they can eat ordinary soil, thus they compensate for the lack of certain minerals in the body.
As for the name of the koala - “non-drinker”, to some extent it is justified, since all marsupials consume very little moisture; koalas usually need morning dew that settles on the leaves and the moisture present in eucalyptus leaves to quench their thirst . But during periods of illness or drought, koalas can drink water from various fresh sources, as all other animals do.
Koala lifestyle
All koalas are nocturnal; during the day they sleep peacefully on branches, and at night they climb these same branches in search of food. In general, these are very calm, good-natured, phlegmatic animals, leading a solitary, one might even say hermit, life. Koalas unite only for reproduction, and so they prefer to live separately, each koala has its own territory, and if the boundaries of this territory are violated by another koala, then the peacefulness of the koala can be replaced by aggressive behavior.
But koalas are usually friendly to people and are easily tamed. Now in Australia there are many koala nurseries where you can easily pet a koala, even pick it up.
Koala's enemies
IN natural conditions Koalas have practically no enemies, since even wild dogs Dingoes, these Australian predators, generally avoid koalas due to their strong eucalyptus scent. But human activity has had a very detrimental effect on their population, in Lately roads are increasingly cutting through the Australian eucalyptus forests, the patrimony of koalas, and often the clumsy and slow koalas die under the wheels of cars.
Types of koalas
In fact, koalas are represented by only one species, this is the common koala, Australian, and it is described in our article.
Koala breeding
The mating season for koalas begins in October and lasts until February. During this period, female koalas begin to select their love partners. The larger the male koala, and the louder he is able to scream, the more attractive he will be to females. It is also very interesting that among koalas there are many times fewer males than females, there are simply fewer of them born, and as a result, one male usually fertilizes from three to five females per season.
The pregnancy of a female koala lasts 30-35 days, after which a single cub is born, very in rare cases twins may be born. Also, pregnancy in a female koala can only happen once every two years. Little koalas are born naked, devoid of hair, and at first they are under the close care of their mother, they drink breast milk and sit in the pouch like cubs.
Having matured a little, little koalas begin to climb onto the mother’s scruff, clinging to the fur. After a year they are already ready for adult life, however, even up to two or three years old they remain close to their mother. Only after reaching sexual maturity, in the second or third year of life, do they leave their mother forever to become independent adult koalas.
Despite its peaceful nature, keeping a koala at home is not the most best idea, or rather, this is simply absolutely not possible due to the feeding habits of these animals. As we wrote above, koalas eat leaves and shoots of eucalyptus trees, but, unfortunately, they are not able to digest other food. But even among eucalyptus leaves, picky koalas eat only 120 varieties out of 800, and you won’t be able to determine exactly which leaves are suitable for koalas and which are not. For this reason, koalas can live exclusively on their own natural area in eucalyptus forests.
- The male koala has a forked penis, while the female has two vaginas and, accordingly, two uteruses. However, one should not be surprised, since a similar structure of the genital organs is characteristic of all animals of the marsupial family.
- The koala is one of the rare mammals that has unique patterns on the pads of its toes. Apart from koalas, only a few people have this, and of course, humans.
- The koala has a very slow metabolism, a metabolism that determines its natural slowness. In this it is surpassed only by the even slower one, about which there is also an interesting article on our website.
Koala video
And finally interesting documentary about koalas.
