Page 53 - The World of Animals

THE KOALA:

THE SLEEPYHEAD

We always remember the greyish furred
koalas wrapping their arms and legs around
the trunks of eucalyptus trees. This sight of

koalas is indeed very lovely. Meanwhile, you
may wonder why we call a koala "the

sleepyhead". Let's remind ourselves right away
that koalas sleep 18 hours a day!
The fore and hind paws of koalas enable them
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to spend a great part of their lives on eucalyptus
trees. This is the way Allah created their paws!
Koalas can quickly climb trees with their long

curled arms, and sharp claws and paws that hold
tightly on to the trees. The two fingers of their fore-
paws are separated from the other three. If we compare a human hand

to theirs, then we must talk about two thumbs. These thumbs, which
greatly differ from other fingers, help them to cling to small branches.

Like a hook, koalas thrust their claws into trees and thus hold on to the
soft and smooth surfaces of tree trunks. With their four paws, they can
readily clutch tree branches, just like we clutch a stick, and climb trees

after they wrap their paws around their branches. These are what
makes a koala's life on trees easy!

Although koalas are known to be lazy, they can move very quickly
on trees. They can even jump from one branch to another, covering a