koalas are not bears!
By zteve t evans
Koalas (Phascolarctos cinereus) are tree-dwelling animals of eastern Australia, where they make their home in eucalyptus trees. Their paws have strong claws and opposable digits to help them climb and move around the trees. Koalas prefer the safety of the trees and rarely climb down to the ground. They are very sleepy creatures, usually sleeping through the day for up to 18 to 20 hours.
Diet of eucalyptus leaves
They usually wake at night to feed on their favorite food of eucalyptus leaves and will consume about 1 kg (2.5 lbs) a day. They also have cheek pouches which they can store food in. Koalas get most of their moisture from the leaves when eating rather than drinking water.
Because they are specialized feeders their digestive system has evolved to digest the tough leaves of the eucalyptus tree. Due to the great quantities of eucalyptus leaves they eat koalas can sometimes smell like cough drops.
They usually wake at night to feed on their favorite food of eucalyptus leaves and will consume about 1 kg (2.5 lbs) a day. They also have cheek pouches which they can store food in. Koalas get most of their moisture from the leaves when eating rather than drinking water.
Because they are specialized feeders their digestive system has evolved to digest the tough leaves of the eucalyptus tree. Due to the great quantities of eucalyptus leaves they eat koalas can sometimes smell like cough drops.
Koalas are not bears!
Koalas are often mistakenly referred to as Koala bears, but they are not bears. Koalas are really pouched animals called marsupials. The female carries her baby in a pouch on her underbelly until it is big and strong enough to hold on to her back or belly. In this way the baby Koala remains with its mother going everywhere its mother goes for around the first year of its life.
Sadly, during the 1920s and 1930s Koalas were hunted for their fur causing their population to drop considerably. Reintroduction programs were introduced and produced smaller populations of Koalas spread over a greater range than before.
One problem is that Koalas are tree dwelling animals feeding off leaves. It is estimated that an individual Koala needs about one hundred trees to live in. Human activity and wild fires are causing Australia’s forests to shrink so space is at a premium.
Conservation Arguments
To complicate matters there are conflicting opinions over their conservation status by important agencies. In 2008, the International Union for the Conservation of Nature placed them in their Least Concern category in the Red List of Threatened Species. In 2012 the New South Wales and Queensland populations were listed as Vulnerable by the Australian government. However, the Australian Koala Foundation argues that Koalas are under greater threat than those IUCN and Australian government recognize.
© zteve t evans
Koalas are often mistakenly referred to as Koala bears, but they are not bears. Koalas are really pouched animals called marsupials. The female carries her baby in a pouch on her underbelly until it is big and strong enough to hold on to her back or belly. In this way the baby Koala remains with its mother going everywhere its mother goes for around the first year of its life.
Sadly, during the 1920s and 1930s Koalas were hunted for their fur causing their population to drop considerably. Reintroduction programs were introduced and produced smaller populations of Koalas spread over a greater range than before.
One problem is that Koalas are tree dwelling animals feeding off leaves. It is estimated that an individual Koala needs about one hundred trees to live in. Human activity and wild fires are causing Australia’s forests to shrink so space is at a premium.
Conservation Arguments
To complicate matters there are conflicting opinions over their conservation status by important agencies. In 2008, the International Union for the Conservation of Nature placed them in their Least Concern category in the Red List of Threatened Species. In 2012 the New South Wales and Queensland populations were listed as Vulnerable by the Australian government. However, the Australian Koala Foundation argues that Koalas are under greater threat than those IUCN and Australian government recognize.
© zteve t evans
References and Attributions
Copyright zteve t evans
Copyright zteve t evans