Koala 🐨

 

Koala in its native translation means “no water.”

Koalas are marsupials native to Australia, marsupials are animals who breed their underdeveloped young ones in a pouch e.g Kangaroo. They are also called Koala bear, making the root of their generic name to mean pouched bear. However, koalas have a backward pouch.

Koalas are herbivores and eat eucalypt leaves, a toxic plant. They have a special digestive system which removes the toxin - cyanide like - and filters for nutrients. Koalas are not born with bacteria needed to digest eucalypt, rather, it is passed from mother-child through faeces in a meal called “pap.”

Koala bear is mostly nocturnal and sleep 20 hours a day. They have a hard bottom adapted to hanging for long hours in between branches of a tree. Their claws make scratches on tree bark that doesn’t clear until the bark peels off.

Koalas have bad sight but sharp ears and nose, with fur covering a wide area of their bodies. They have a characteristic call for each other.

Presently, Koalas are endangered. One, because of encroaching human populations, another, because of chlamydia infections. Aside forests, koalas can be seen in urban centers - on trees 😂.

Notes;

1. https://environment.des.qld.gov.au/wildlife/animals/living-with/koalas/facts

2. Google photos.