KOALAS
Marsupial - Vertebrate - Herbivore
Marsupial - Vertebrate - Herbivore
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KOALA AND JOEY
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Male: Buck
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Female: Doe
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Young: Joey, Cub
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KOALAS
Are not bears ... they are marsupials.
- They are related to kangaroos and wombats.
- Mostly nocturnal.
- Rarely leave the safety of the trees.
- Can sleep for 18 hours a day.
- Have sharp teeth and claws.
- Lives for about 20 years.
- Can run as fast as a rabbit.
- Hug trees to keep cool.
- Eats eucalyptus leaves, bark from the eucalyptus trees and mistletoe.
- The joey stays in its mother's pouch for about 6 or 7 months, drinking only milk.
- After leaving the pouch, it will ride on its mother's back.
- Predators are eagles and owls, dingoes and human beings.
- Males have two penises and females have two vaginas.
- Does not need to drink fluids, it can obtain all its liquid needs from the eucalyptus flees (which are 50% water).
- Can eat up to 20 lbs (1 kg) of leaves in a day.
- Have human-like fingerprints. There have been occasions of confusion at a crime scene.
- A newborn Koala is about the size of a jelly bean.
- Baby Koalas are weaned on their mother's excrement. It is consumed directly form the mother's bottom in the form of 'soup'.
- When the baby becomes too big for its mother's pouch, the mother will carry the baby on her back.