A Few Koala Facts Worth Knowing
Gathering koala facts is fun, partly because the animal is so cute and cuddly, and partly because it definitely falls into the exotic classification. We often refer to the animals as koala bears, most likely because they resemble small bears, teddy bears in fact. The koala facts don't bear (no pun intended) that out however. The koala is a marsupial, and as such is more closely related to the kangaroo than to a bear. It really isn't all that closely related to the kangaroo for that matter, the wombat, which we know even less about, is the koala's closest relative. Wombats are also cute and cuddly. With a name like that they almost have to be.
Eats Eucalyptus, Smells Like Eucalyptus - One of the first koala facts we learn is that they eat eucalyptus leaves. Eucalyptus leaves are somewhat toxic, which does not appear to bother the koala in the slightest. The leaves are also very hard to digest, which doesn't bother the koala either as it has a special digestive system just build for digesting eucalyptus leaves. It is claimed, by those who know their koalas that the animal eats so many eucalyptus leaves that it takes on a distinct eucalyptus odor, an odor we associate with cough drops and throat lozenges.
A koala will spend most of its life in a eucalyptus tree, more than one tree in fact. In the course of its lifetime the typical koala will visit more than 100 eucalyptus trees, which make up its range. This presents a problem, as it takes so many trees to sustain a koala. As the eucalyptus forests are destroyed to make use of the land for other purposes, the koala faces a battle for survival. The koala is territorial, and will bark at other koalas to denote its territory.
Dogs, Cars, And Fights - The koala is relatively safe when in a tree, so is safe most of the time, but does face dangers when on the ground, primarily from dogs and automobiles. Automobiles take a heavy toll on this little brown "bear". The koala, as cuddly as it appears, is not above getting into fights with other koalas and these also take a toll as the animal sometimes succumbs to injuries. The life span of a koala is about 17 years, with females generally outliving males by 9 or 10 years, as it is the males who get into fights and seem to get into trouble with dogs and automobiles more than do the females.
Plenty Of Sleep, For A Reason - One of the reasons the koala lives as long as it does is the fact that it averages 16 to 18 hours a day sleeping, usually safely in the fork of a tree. When it is awake and feeding, it's mostly in the evening and during the night. The reason the koala sleeps so much of the time is due to its diet, which is high in fiber and somewhat low in nutrients. The koala sleeps to conserve energy. Its low metabolism rate allows it digest thoroughly what it eats, getting every bit of nutrition out of each meal as possible. The koala also eats bark from the eucalyptus tree. It will eat mistletoe and box leaves on occasion, but for all practical purposes feeds on eucalyptus 100% of the time. Koalas rarely drink water as they get all they need from the vegetation they eat.
More Koala Facts - A few other koala facts of interest: The koala breeds once a year, and has a gestation period of 35 days. A single koala is born, called a joey, and weighs less than a gram at birth. Though tiny and seemingly completely helpless, a combination of strong claws and instinct enable the newborn to find and crawl into its mother's pouch, where it will stay for the better part of a year, until it no longer fits. The joey lives totally on its mother's milk for the first 6 months of its life. When fully grown the koala will weigh between 10 and 20 pounds with the male being larger than the female.