Koala facts

By Essie – Thanks mom for helping me type.

Information came from Healesville sanctuary, their website and www.thekoala.com/koala/ Pictures came from http://carinbondar.com, australiangeographic.com.au, blog-city.info

Did you know that koalas are not bears?  They are marsupials. That means they have a pouch for their babies.

Did you know that Koalas live in gum trees-but only special kinds of eucalyptus and gum trees. They each have their own trees, but they also overlap with their neighbors. This where they play and meet each other. Neighbors are very important because koalas live in groups or societies. The  groups each have their own territory.

Did you know that koalas have 2 fingers on each hand that act like thumbs? We only have one thumb on each hand, but we don’t need so many thumbs.  They have great balance. That’s important so they don’t fall out of the trees. They also have strong arms and a good grip. God made them that way to live in trees. Look at those fingers!

Did you know that koalas don’t drink water? They only drink water when they are ill or it is very dry. Its name means ‘no drink’ in the ancient Aboriginal language. Sometimes they will eat wattle or tea tree leaves as well as their favorite eucalyptus. Did you know that eucalyptus leaves are very poisonous to other animals? But koalas can eat 200-500 kg a day. Their sensitive nose helps them pick which leaves are good.

Did you know that koalas are very lazy? They sleep 18 -20 hours a day, which is way more than we sleep. They are mainly nocturnal, which means they wake up more at night.

Did you know koalas have a cushy bottom? They have thicker hair on their bottom to make it more comfortable to sit on hard tree branches.

Did you know koalas sometimes leave their trees?  They come down bottom first, not feet first like we do. To climb back up, they bounce up as high as they can and catch the tree with their front claws.  They are on the ground to change trees, they are in the most danger because of dingos, and cars.

Did you know that whenever koala babies are born they are pink? They are the size of a jelly bean and have no ears. They move to the pouch on their own and grow there for about 6-7 months. They drink only mother’s milk at that time. They will leave the mom and live on their own when a new baby (called a joey) is born.  This could be after 1 year, or could be 2 or 3 years.

Thank you for reading my koala article.

Good bye, Essie