Koala

Since I’ve not gotten all my photos yet from perth for some unforeseen ciscumstances. I’ll just post some interesting facts about koalas which you might not know. Do you know that koala is not related to bear? Do you know that female koalas have pouch? Do you know that kolas have finger prints and they have not sweat glands? I bet that you have not google about it yet. So, read on.

• Scientific name as Phasclarctos Cinereus.
• Koalas’ nickname is Native Bear.
• They aren’t even related to bears. The koala is related to the kangaroo and the wombat and is a mammal. The reason the koala is called a koala bear is because the koala looks like a teddy bear.
• It has similar in appearance to the wombat (its closest living relative).
• One of the few mammals which has fingerprints.
• They lived for about 20 years.
• They lived most of their time motionless for about 16-18 hours a day, sleeping most of the time. They are mostly nocturnal, which means they move around at night and sleep during the day.
  

  Sleeping Koala

   

• The Koala cools itself by licking its arms and stretching out as it rests in the trees (koalas have no sweat glands). Koalas don’t normally need to drink as they get all the moisture they need from the gumleaves. However they can drink if necessary, such as in times of drought.
• Extra thick fur, especially on the neck and shoulders, helps protect the koala from even the worst weather (koalas do not build nests).
• Pear-shaped body provides stability while the koala sits in trees.
• Opposable thumbs and toes allow for a tight grip when climbing.
• The male Koala, like many marsupials, has a bifurcated penis. The female has two lateral vaginae, a feature unique to the Koala, and it has two separate uteri which is common to all marsupials.
• Generally a silent animal, but when under stress, it is reported that it produces the sound like a cry of a human baby.
• Males have a very loud advertising call that can be heard from almost a kilometre away during the breeding season.
• Breeding occurs in summer, most mature females produce only one young each year.
• Twins are rare in koalas.
• A baby Koala is referred to as a joey and is hairless, blind, and earless. At birth the joey, only a quarter of an inch long, crawls into the downward-facing pouch on the mother’s belly(which is closed by a drawstring-like muscle that the mother can tighten at will) and attaches itself to one of the two teats.
  

  Joey Jelly Bean

   

• Young remain hidden in the pouch for about six months, only feeding on milk. During this time they grow ears, eyes, and fur. The joey then begins to explore outside of the pouch. At about this stage it begins to consume small quantities of the mother’s “pap” (formerly thought to be excrement, but now thought to come from the mother’s cecum) in order to inoculate its gut with the microbes necessary to digest eucalypt leaves.

• The joey will remain with its mother for another six months or so, riding on her back, and feeding on both milk and eucalypt leaves until weaning is complete at about 12 months of age.
  

  Joey with Mum

   

• Young females disperse to nearby areas at that time; young males often stay in the mother’s home range until they are two or three years old.
• Koalas that are disturbed are known to be violent, their teeth and claws capable of causing considerable injury to humans; special handling requirements are as such applicable.
• Koalas spend about three of their five active hours eating. Feeding occurs at any time of day, but usually at night. An average Koala eats 500 g (18 oz) of eucalypt leaves each day, chewing them in its powerful jaws to a very fine paste before swallowing.
• The IUCN lists the species as “Least Concern”. The Australian government does not consider the species to be threatened, although the US government has declared the Koala a threatened species.
• The biggest problem for koalas is that their bushland (or “habitat”) is being cut down to make way for houses. Koalas are protected by law but their homes and food aren’t.
• The Koala was hunted almost to extinction in the early 20th century, largely for its fur. Millions of furs were traded to Europe and the United States, and the population has not fully recovered from such decimations. Extensive cullings occurred in Queensland in 1915, 1917, and again in 1919 when over one million Koalas were killed with guns, poisons, and nooses.

*NOTE : Above information have been taken from Wikipedia and koalaexpress. Most of the images are taken from goggle search results. If you are the owner of the images and would like me to remove it, please do let me know. Thank you.