Page 94 - Present Day Wildlife_Float

The koala (Phascolarctos cinereus) is an herbivorous marsupial and is the only extant
species of the genus Phascolarctos in the family Phascolarctidae. It’s native to Australia, and
found in the coastal areas eastern and southern regions such as, Queensland, New South
Wales, Victoria, South Australia. It stands about
60 to 85 cm tall and weighs around 4 to 15 kg

The koala is a short, stout and tailless
marsupial. It has a large head with small round
dark eyes, round fluffy ears, and a large dark
nose. Its front limbs are longer than its rear
ones. Its four paws have curved, sharp claws,
perfectly shaped for clinging to branches and
climbing trees. Its fur coat varies in colour from
a silver grey to a chocolate brown. It’s also
short, soft to the touch, and very dense, making
it impervious to rain and wind. Although koalas
are one species, there is a difference between
the northern and southern koalas. Those in the
south of the country display the standard colour
and size, while those in the north, have much
lighter colours and tend to be much smaller
than its southern counterpart. This has led
some to argue that they may be different spe-
cies. Koalas have the smallest brain of any mar-
supial, attributed, by many, to its very low nu-
tritional diet. They are also very distinctive
looking, and it’s this ‘look’ that possibly lies at the root of its popular, but
erroneous name; the ‘koala bear’. It is not a bear. It’s more closely related
to kangaroos and bandicoots than to true bears.

Koalas inhabit both the tropical and temperate regions along the east
coast of Australia. The areas they choose to stay are light or dense Eucalyp-
tus woodlands; the leaves of the Eucalyptus tree being the main source of
their diet. They are found in their largest numbers, in woodland areas
close to rivers and streams. Although they are rarely seen actually drinking
water – they get most of their needs from the leaves they consume – they
like being close to water in case of drought or extreme hot weather. Koalas
are extremely territorial marking the base of the trees they inhabit with
scent secreted from a gland on their chest. Although primarily solitary ani-
mals, they do gather together in small groups from time to time and espe-
cially at mating time. They communicate with one another through facial
expressions and males through loud bellowing, possibly to intimidate oth-
er males or attract a mate. Females bellow softly, and emit soft snarls,
wails, and screams. At mating time, females always choose the male that
bellows the loudest.

Koalas are herbivores, dieting almost exclusively on the toxic eucalyp-
tus leaves, consuming around 1.3 to 1.5 kg daily. They do eat other types of
leaves from other trees, but this is only occasionally. They are fussy eaters,
sniffing and picking the least toxic, juiciest and the most nutrient rich euca-
lyptus leaves. However, not only is this diet toxic, and at a level that would
prove fatal to most animals, it’s also a very low nutritional diet. This leaves
the koala chronically short of energy. This lack of energy, could account for
the amount of sleep the koala seems to need; nearly 16 to 18 hours a day. As
with most herbivores the koala is not a predatory animal yet there are ani-
mals that prey on the koala, like dingoes, owls, eagles, and pythons, though,
most prey on the juveniles (Joey). Adult koalas, although vulnerable to at-
tack by predatory animals, are more likely to fall foul to various pathogens
such as Chlamydiaceae bacteria and koala retrovirus.