A rather stout, virtually tailless creature, with a cream-colored chest, the koala is native to Australia, and the only extant representative of the family Phascolarctidae.
The koala has been victim to population reduction through both active and passive attacks from humans.
The fossil records indicate that before 50,000 years ago, giant koalas inhabited the southern regions of Australia.
Combined with an inability to migrate to new areas, this has caused the koala populations to become unsustainable and threaten the island's unique ecology.
A review of the species national conservation status concluded that the koala is not threatened at the national level, with a population that numbers in the hundreds of thousands (Campbell 2006).
The koala requires large areas of healthy, connected forest and these devastating circumstances have caused affected populations to travel long distances along tree corridors in search of new territory and mates.
Among threats to current koala populations are habitat destruction, disease, and attacks from feral and wild animals.
The inverted thumbs on the koala's back feet help for grip while the koala changes branches or eats with its front hands.
An average koala eats 500 grams of eucalyptus leaves each day, chewing them in its powerful jaws to a very fine paste before swallowing.
Koala fossils are quite rare, but some have been found in northern Australia dating to 20 million years ago.
Many factors determine which of the 800 species of eucalyptus trees the koala eats.
Like wombats and sloths, the koala has a very low metabolic rate for a mammal and rests motionless for about 19 hours a day, sleeping most of that time.
Humans in recent years have been advancing their role as stewards of creation by protecting the koala populations, while also devising methods, such as sterilization, to deal with the overpopulation in certain regions.
On Kangaroo Island in South Australia, koalas introduced some 90 years ago have thrived in the absence of predators and competition.
Among trees of their favorite species, however, the major factor that determines which individual trees the koala chooses is the concentration of a group of phenolic toxins called formylated phloroglucinol compounds.
The koala then began to fill the same ecological role as the sloth of South America.
The koalas of South Australia were largely exterminated during the early part of the twentieth century, but the state has since been repopulated with Victorian stock.
The popularity of the koala has made the possibility of a cull politically improbable, with any negative perception likely to impact tourism and a government's electability.
Koalas do drink water, but only rarely, due to their diet consisting of eucalyptus leaves.
Handling of koalas has been a source of political contention due to these risks, which can also cause harm to the koala as well (Jones 1995).
The Australian Koala Foundation has mapped 40,000 square km of land for koala habitat and claims it has strong evidence to suggest wild koala populations are in serious decline throughout the species natural range.
Koalas retain the rearward-facing pouch of their terrestrial vomaboid ancestors.
Early European settlers to Australia called the koala the native bear, and the koala is still sometimes called the koala bear, but it is not a member of the bear family.
Koalas that are disturbed are known to be violent, their teeth and claws capable of providing considerable injury to humans; special handling requirements are as such applicable.
Groups of female koalas on various occasions have participated in such interactions, and often times, a female has been seen to reject male advances while willingly reciprocating female ones.
The origins of the koala are unclear, although almost certainly they descended from terrestrial wombat-like animals.
The koala will eat the leaves of a wide range of eucalyptus, and occasionally even some non-eucalyptus species, but it has firm preferences for particular varieties.
The koala is one of the few mammals (other than primates) that has fingerprints.
Koalas' five digits are arranged with opposable thumbs, providing better gripping ability.
The koala is a generally silent animal, but males have a very loud advertising call that can be heard from almost a kilometer away during the breeding season.
On the other hand, in some areas, such as certain islands, the introduction of koalas has lead to "pest" populations, since they thrive in the absence of predators and competition.
Heavily relying on a societal environment, koalas search for areas with eucalyptus trees dense enough to feed a full group of koalas.
Koala numbers are estimated at over 30,000, with ecologists suggesting that the island can sustain 10,000 at most.
The ever-increasing human population of the coastal parts of the continent continues to cut these corridors by agricultural and residential development, forestry, and road-building, marooning koala colonies in decreasing areas of bush.
The koala was hunted almost to extinction in the early twentieth century, largely for its fur.
The koala (Phascolarctos cinereus) is an ash-colored, thickset, arboreal, herbivorous marsupial averaging about 9 kg in weight.
The koala's scientific name, Phascolarctos cinereus, comes from the Greek phaskolos, meaning "pouch," and arktos, meaning "bear."
The inverted thumbs on the koala's back feet help for grip while the koala changes branches or eats with its front hands.
In people, chlamydia is a common sexually transmitted disease. A different strain infects koalas, but it too can be spread sexually, and it's causing a devastating epidemic. In some parts of Australia, koala infection rates are as high as 90%.Apr 25, 2013
The gray and white coloring of the koala bear is another tool for protection. This color combination allows them to hide in the treetops away from land predators. ... The leaves of the trees used as the koala habitat also hide the bear from predators.Oct 19, 2017
They can eat up to two and a half pounds of leaves per day. Researchers think the koalas' newfound thirst is because the leaves that used to keep them hydrated are drying out as Gunnedah gets hotter and drier. The leaves used to provide enough water for the koalas that they didn't need to drink in addition.Mar 31, 2017
They live in eucalyptus trees and spend most of their time wedged between forks in the tree's branches. Koalas eat in the trees, sleep in trees and hang out in trees. The only time they leave the trees is to walk to another tree with a better food supply. Koalas do move around in their chosen tree.Nov 18, 2014
Like all marsupial babies, baby koalas are called joeys. A koala joey is the size of a jellybean! It has no hair, no ears, and is blind. Joeys crawl into their mother's pouch immediately after birth, and stay there for about six months.Nov 11, 2011
In Australia koalas that live in the wild have no natural predators. They are in fact at the top of the food chain in their habitat. Large birds such as owls have been known to prey on baby koalas, although such information is scarce. By definition koalas eat only eucalyptus leaves, they do not prey on other animals.
Today the natural predators of the Koala do not make a significant impact on wild populations. They include goannas dingoes, powerful owls, wedge-tailed eagles, and pythons, all of which are most likely to prey upon juvenile Koalas. Feral animals are another threat Koalas have had to face since European settlement.
Koalas drown in swimming pools when they are looking for water to drink. Although koalas can swim, if there are no assisted ways for a koala to climb out they will eventually drown.