Koalas

TYPE: Mammals

DIET: Herbivore

AVERAGE LIFE SPAN IN THE WILD: 20 years

SIZE: 23.5 to 33.5 inches

WEIGHT: 20 pounds

The koala is an iconic Australian animal. Often called the koala “bear,” Though
koalas look fuzzy, their hair is more like the coarse wool of a sheep. They have
two opposing thumbs on their hands, and both their feet and hands have rough
pads and claws to grab onto branches. They have two toes, fused together, on
their feet, which they use to comb their fur. Koalas live in the eucalyptus forests
of southeastern and eastern Australia. When not sleeping, they’re usually eating.
They rely on the eucalyptus tree for both habitat and food. Koalas can eat more
than a pound of eucalyptus leaves a day. Eucalyptus is toxic, so the koala’s
digestive system has to work hard to digest it, breaking down the toxins and
extracting limited nutrients. That’s why koalas sleep so much; they get very little
energy from their diet. Tucked into forks or nooks in the trees, koalas may sleep
for 18 to 22 hours. Koalas usually don’t drink much water as they get most of their
moisture from these leaves. Koalas can even store leaves in their cheek pouches
for later. They eat so much eucalyptus that they often take on its smell. Koala
numbers plummeted in the late 19th and early 20th century from hunting for
their fur. Now they face serious threats from habitat loss. Land clearing, logging,
and bushfires—especially the devastating 2019-2020 season—have destroyed
much of the forest they live in. Koalas need a lot of space—about a hundred trees
per animal—a pressing problem as Australia's woodlands continue to shrink.
Koalas are listed as vulnerable by the International Union for the Conservation of
Nature, which has named the species one of 10 animals most vulnerable to
climate change. Increasing carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is decreasing the
nutritional quality of eucalyptus leaves (which is already quite low) and causing
longer, more intense droughts and wildfires. In response to drought, koalas are
forced to stop napping and come down from the trees to find water, spending
precious energy and putting them at a higher risk of predation. Predators include
dingoes and large owls. They’re also at risk of getting hit by cars and attacked by
dogs. Chlamydia is widespread in some koala populations and can cause
blindness, infertility, and sometimes death.