Phascolarctos cinereus
One of the most well-known marsupials, the life of a koala is primarily a sedentary one. They spend the bulk of their days resting on the forks of eucalypt trees, munching on eucalyptus leaves and becoming active at dusk. They travel between several home trees where they spend their life within their “home range,” seldom overlapping with other koalas. However, their home range does have select trees that overlap with the home range of others, which is where interaction frequently occurs.
What do koalas look like? Koalas in southern Australia are larger than ones in the north, with thicker fur, likely due to the colder weather (see picture below, left, of a koala in Victoria, Southern Australia). Koalas in northern Australia has less fur (see picture, right, of a koala at the Toronga Zoo Sydney), likely due to warmer weather.
People often call them koala bears. Are they a type of bear? No, they are a marsupial, not a bear. Marsupials are mammals that carry babies in their pouches.
Where can you find koalas? In eucalyptus forests of Eastern and Southeastern Australia – South Australia, Victoria, Queensland and New South Wales.
Are they nocturnal? Mostly. They typically sleep up to 18-20 hours a day.
What are baby koalas called? Joeys
What does a koala family look like? Momma koalas typically have one baby every one to three years. After it is born very tiny, it crawls into its mom’s pouch and lives there for about six months, drinking milk. As it gets close to the point where it can start to eat eucalyptus leaves — typically poisonous to animals — it eats a specialized form of its moms dropping called pap so it can digest the leaves. The joey then stays with mom, often riding on her back, for one to three years until she has her next baby.
View koalas in trees.
How long do they live? 12-16 years in the wild.
Are they endangered? Their IUCN status is listed as vulnerable with a decreasing population estimated to be around 300,000.
Where can I find out more about koalas? Visit the Australia Koala Foundation‘s site, a nonprofit dedicated to the conservation of koalas in the wild.
Sightings
Great Ocean Road, Victoria, Australia
More about Koalas