The Animals

The Koala

A Koala lives exclusively in trees and only feeds on leaves.  Gum leaves are toxic to most animals, and are low in nutrition and do not supply koalas with reserves of energy or fat. To conserve energy they do not move unless they require food and spend most of their non-eating time sleeping which is about 18 hours a day.

The koala has a very short tail, so it cannot be used to hold onto trees. They have five digits on their paws, two of which are opposed to the others which helps them to grip firmly onto the branches.  Males are up to 50 percent larger than females and have a broader face.  Mature males have a dark scent gland in the centre of their chest which exudes a dark, sticky substance.  They rub this on trees to mark their territory.

Koala young are called joeys and are born 2cm long, blind, furless and their ears are not fully developed.  They stay in the mother’s pouch until they are 6-7 months of age.  After this, they will stay with mum, riding on either her back or abdomen, though still returning to the pouch for milk.