Facts about Koala Bear

FAST FACTS

DESCRIPTION: Mid-sized marsupial with thick, dense fur ranging in color from slate-gray to reddish-brown. They have an opposable modified index finger that acts as a second thumb.

SIZE: MALE 75-82 cm (29.5-32.3 in) FEMALE 68-73 cm (26.8-28.7 in)

WEIGHT: MALE 9.5-12.5 kg (20.9-29.8 lb) FEMALE 7-9.8 kg (15.4-21.6 lb)

DIET: Consists almost exclusively of eucalyptus leaves

GESTATION: 35 days

SEXUAL MATURITY: MALE 3-4 years FEMALE 2 years

LIFE SPAN: 12-14 years in wild

RANGE: Eastern Australia

HABITAT: Eucalyptus woodlands

FUN FACTS

1.	Although koalas may look like bears, they are actually marsupials, animals with a pouch that protects developing young.
2.	Koalas almost never need to drink; they get most of their water from the succulent eucalyptus leaves they eat. The word "koala" is an aboriginal word meaning "no drink animal."
3.	Koalas eat so much eucalyptus, some say they smell like a giant eucalyptus cough drop!
4.	A koala spends over 14 hours a day sleeping.
5.	Koalas are perfectly designed for their tree-dwelling life. Their hands have a large gap between the first and second fingers and their big toe is set at a wide angle to the foot. This gives the koala a vicelike grip on branches. They comfortably sit in a tree all day because of their thickly-padded tails.

Community Life:
Koalas are not very friendly to each other. They do not interact with each other except in territorial disputes and to mate. A male koala "owns" about 15 trees in his territory. He scent marks by urinating or rubbing a gland on his chest against a tree trunk declaring ownership ofthat tree. The bellow of the male is low pitched and can be heard for up to 800 meters. It may announce his presence to other males or to females. Females wail, snarl, and scream to communicate.

Marsupials are very small and underdeveloped when they are born. A newborn koala weighs 1/50 of an ounce and is 3/4 of an inch long-about the size of a peanut! Using powerful front legs and paws, it crawls into its mother's pouch and attaches to a nipple in order to drink milk, grow, and develop. By seven months of age, the joey pokes its head out and gradually starts to explore, squeaking to call for its mother. By 12 months the youngster is weaned, but will return to the pouch for safety until it is 18 months old. Soon after, the young koala leaves for good to find a home of its own.

ECOLOGY AND CONSERVATION

Before European colonization in Australia, koalas were an important food source for Aboriginal people and dingo (wild dogs). By the 1920's their populations were nearly destroyed from uncontrolled hunting for their fur. Presently, koalas suffer from habitat depletion that is the result of human development. As their habitats shrink, problems with inbreeding and an increased spread of disease occurs.

Conservationists often teach people about the value of all creatures by using koalas as impressive examples of what we can do to bring animals back from the brink. They are now symbols for international conservation and a reminder that we must continually work to preserve unique environments .