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The koala is often called a bear because its appearance is much like that of a bear. Yet the koala is a marsupial and not a bear.

Characteristics of the body
Koalas have five fingers on its hands including fingerprints. Two of the fingers are very mobile, just like thumbs. Also, a koala, like people, snore. Koalas have a tail, but it has no special function. Most koalas are gray (all shades of grey) with white color on their chin, chest, and forelegs. The male weighs about 12 pounds and the female weighs about 8 pounds.

Life Habits
Koalas live in groups, many are in contact each other. They are also very territorial. Also, koalas are very lazy animals, they hang in a tree all day and sleep even 20 hours. In the remaining 4 hours is spent eating. Because of their laziness and the fact that they do not move too quickly, they unfortunately also easy prey for hunters (because of their fur, although this is more controlled), predators (including dingoes) and natural disasters such as forest fires.

Nutrition
Koalas love eucalyptus leaves and therefore live mainly in and near the Eucalyptus trees. This is almost their only food. Eucalyptus leaves are low in calories and thus virtually the nutrition of koalas because of their lazy lifestyle so much energy burned. Eucalyptus leaves contain much moisture on the other hand, just the right amount of moisture the koala needs. In this way, he even his food and drink to come down.

Reproduction
Koalas reproduce slowly and the mother gets one young at a time. The slow propagation is also one of the reasons that this animal still reasonably threatened with extinction. The mating season for koalas is usually in the summer time. The young (a Joey ) is already 5 weeks after birth and is only 2 inches long and bald and blind. For six months he lives with the mother in the pouch. Read the rest of this entry »