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HABITAT
The koala lives almost exclusively in the
top branches of eucalyptus trees. Its strong legs and sharp claws help it grip the trunks.
A nocturnal animal, it feeds at night on the young shoots and
leaves of high branches, and spends its day sleeping curled up in a fork of a tree.
KOALAS &
MAN
As recently as a hundred years ago, the koala was
wide- spread in Australia. But increased settlement by man brought about a dramatic
decline in its population.
Much of the koala's natural habitat was destroyed by
fires set deliberately to clear the land. The fur trade introduced another threat to the
koala; more than two million skins were exported from Australia in 1924 alone.
Above: A baby
koala spends the first 6 months of its life in its mother's pouch. Then, for the next 2 or
3 months, it clings to its mother's fur during the day, returning to her pouch at night.
Above: Koala mothers and their young
enjoy a close relationship. She will happily carry her youngster until it is time for it
to become in- dependent. |
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The furry gray
koala lives high in the tops of eucalyptus trees. Now a protected species, it is still
threatened by the loss of habitat due to seasonal brush fires.
BREEDING
Koalas mate between December,and
March. A single baby is born 35 days later. It is blind, hairless, and only 3/,, inch
long. By instinct, it drags itself into its mother's pouch, which opens to the rear rather
than to the front as with most other marsupials.
Inside the pouch, the baby koala feeds first on
mother's milk and later on half-digested food passed through the mother's rectum.
After six months, the young koala leaves the pouch and clings to
its mother's back, remaining with her until the following mating season. It then moves to
another tree and lives independently for two to four years until it is sexually mature.
Above: At almost
a year old, this koala still clings to its mother's back. She seems happy to oblige, and
although her load is no longer light, her specially adapted hands and feet let her climb
with ease. |
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FOOD & FEEDING
During the course of its
evolution, the koala has developed special cheek pouches that store food and a digestive
system to handle a diet consisting entirely of eucalyptus leaves.
Of the more than 100 species of eucalyptus tree that grow
in Australia, the koala feeds on only twelve. Koalas eat between one and two pounds of
leaves daily and can easily exhaust their own food supply.
The main difficulty in keeping
koalas alive in zoos and sanctuaries is obtaining enough eucalyptus leaves of the right
species with which to keep them fed. They cannot survive without eucalyptus.
KEY FACTS
Height: 24 in.
Weight: Males, up to 26 lb. Females, 1 7 lb.
Smaller in northern part of range.
Sexual maturity: Males, 3-4 years. Females, 2-3
years.
Mating: Dec.- March (Southern Hemisphere's
summer).
Gestation: 25-35 days.
Number of young: 1
Habit: Solitary tree-dweller, except during
mating.
Call: Harsh, unattractive call; sounds like
sawing wood.
Diet: Eucalyptus leaves.
Lifespan: 15-20 years. |
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| Did You Know?
The koala never drinks because it gets all the liquid it needs from
eucalyptus leaves. "Koala" is the aborigine word for "no water."
The koala is an excellent swimmer, crossing rivers in order to
survive heavy flooding
Ironically, many koalas are killed in sanctuaries by being run over
by cars belonging to visitors
A newborn koala is only the size of a lima bean. Its hind
leges are barely fomed, but its forelimbs and claws are relatively well developed.
It drags itself to the pouch following a trail of saliva laid down by its mother. |
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