Page 6 - Gateways_FALL 2024

News Bites
Species:
Northern Koala
The latest noteworthy news from around Brookfield Zoo Chicago (Phascolarctos cinereus)
and beyond the gates is right at your fingertips. Age and Sex: Both are male;
Willum is 2 years old and Brumby
will be 2 in August 2024
Native habitat: Eucalyptus
forests in parts of Australia
Zoo habitat: KOALAS! at Hamill
Family Play Zoo (Free year-round
with general admission)
Wild diet: Fresh leaves from select
types of eucalyptus trees
Zoo diet: Fresh leaves from select
types of eucalyptus trees
Physical features: The adult
northern koala subspecies is 2 to
3 feet long and weighs between
7 and 30 pounds; males are larger
and heavier than females. Their
woolly fur ranges in color from light
gray to brown. They have small eyes;
a wide, black nose; large, fuzzy ears;
and sharp claws and opposing digits
that help them climb trees and
grasp branches. Most females have
Hello, we’re a pouch on their abdomen where
joeys, or young, nurse and grow.
Brumby... Conservation status:
Vulnerable*
*According to the International Union
for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red
List of Threatened Species. In 2022, the
...and Australian government uplisted koalas to
Endangered in Queensland, New South
Wales, and the Australian Capital Territory.
Willum

6 GATEWAYS | NEWS BITES