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| SCIENTIFIC
CLASSIFICATION |
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| COMMON
NAME: |
koala |
| KINGDOM: |
Animalia |
| PHYLUM: |
Chordata |
| CLASS: |
Mammalia |
| ORDER: |
Diprotodonta |
| FAMILY: |
Phascolarctidae |
| GENUS
SPECIES: |
Phascolarctos
(leather-pouched bear) cinereus (ash-colored) |
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|
| DESCRIPTION: |
Mid-sized
marsupial with thick, dense fur ranging in color
from slate-gray to reddish-brown. They have an opposable
modified index finger that acts as a second thumb. |
|
| SIZE: |
|
| MALE |
75-82
cm (29.5-32.3 in) |
| FEMALE |
68-73
cm (26.8-28.7 in) |
|
| WEIGHT: |
|
| MALE |
9.5-12.5
kg (20.9-29.8 lb) |
| FEMALE |
7-9.8
kg (15.4-21.6 lb) |
|
| DIET: |
Consists
almost exclusively of eucalyptus leaves |
|
|
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| SEXUAL
MATURITY: |
|
| MALE |
3-4
years |
| FEMALE |
2
years |
|
| LIFE
SPAN: |
12-14
years in wild |
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|
|
| HABITAT: |
Eucalyptus
woodlands |
|
| POPULATION: |
GLOBAL |
Unknown |
|
| STATUS: |
IUCN |
Not
listed |
| CITES |
Not
listed |
| USFWS |
Not
listed but protected by the Australian government |
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|
| 1. |
Although
koalas may look like bears, they are actually marsupials,
animals with a pouch that protects developing young. |
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|
| 2. |
Koalas
almost never need to drink; they get most of their
water from the succulent eucalyptus leaves they
eat. The word "koala" is an aboriginal
word meaning "no drink animal." |
|
|
| 3. |
Koalas
eat so much eucalyptus, some say they smell like
a giant eucalyptus cough drop! |
|
|
| 4. |
A
koala spends over 14 hours a day sleeping. |
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|
| 5. |
Koalas
are perfectly designed for their tree-dwelling life.
Their hands have a large gap between the first and
second fingers and their big toe is set at a wide
angle to the foot. This gives the koala a vicelike
grip on branches. They comfortably sit in a tree
all day because of their thickly-padded tails. |
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|
| 6. |
More
information - Koala
Fact Sheet |
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Before
European colonization in Australia, koalas were
an important food source for Aboriginal people
and dingo (wild dogs). By the 1920's their populations
were nearly destroyed from uncontrolled hunting
for their fur. Presently, koalas suffer from habitat
depletion that is the result of human development.
As their habitats shrink, problems with inbreeding
and an increased spread of disease occurs.
Conservationists
often teach people about the value of all creatures
by using koalas as impressive examples of what
we can do to bring animals back from the brink.
They are now symbols for international conservation
and a reminder that we must continually work to
preserve unique environments.
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|
|
|
| |
|
|
| Dayton,
Leigh. "Can Koalas Bear the 20th Century?"
Wildlife Conservation, July - August 1991,
pp. 28-37. |
|
| Evans,
Howard Ensign, and Mary Alice Evans. Australia,
A Natural History. Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian
Institution Press, 1983. |
|
|
Irvine,
Georgeanne. "Deforested Koalas." ZooNooz,
August 1991, pp. 58-67.
|
|
| Litchfield,
Linda. "Gray Balls of Fire." ZooLife,
Summer 1990, pp. 58-67. |
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| Morris,
Desmond. Animalwatching. New York: Crown
Publishers, Inc., 1990. |
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| Strahan,
Ronald (ed.). The Complete Book of Australian
Mammals. London: Angus and Robertson Pub., 1983. |
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