The life of ... a koala

Hello everyone,

Today we're talking about koalas. Also known as koala bears, koalas are marsupials. So they're actually not bears. Koalas, phascolarctos cinereus, are tree dwelling and probably best known for spending most of the day sleeping. They live for up to 15 years in the wild although captive koalas generally live for longer.

Koalas have a stout, gray body and a cream-coloured chest. They have a broad face, small yellow eyes and big fluffy ears. In adaptation to climbing, their feet are strong and clawed. Adult individuals in South Australia weigh 14kg and are 60-84cm big. Their Eastern cousins are considerably smaller.

Koalas are found in Eastern and Southern Australia, where they live in eucalyptus trees. They feed on the leaves of these eucalyptus trees, eating up to 1.3kg a day. With a body weight of up to 14kg, this means they eat just under 10% of their body weight every single day. However, the leaves are toxic meaning their digestive system is specially adapated to cope with this. This diet is very low in nutrients, so they do not have much energy. Therefore they have to move as little as possible and have even been observed sleeping for 22 hours in one go. In fact, they eat so many leaves that they often smell of eucalyptus. These leaves are their primary source of moisture, so koalas very rarely drink water as this would include moving to a water sources, which requires energy. Beacause they eat so many leaves, they need a lot of trees per individual. Some koalas will store leaves in their cheeks and eat them later. Koalas are mainly solitary animals. Occasionally, they give off loud grunts.

Koalas give birth to one joey at a time. The gestation period is 34-36 days. Like kangaroos, koalas have a pouch that the joey stays in for the first five months of their life. Then they will cling to their mothers back until 12 months of age.

Unfortunately, koalas have been considered vulnerable since 2016. Their population trend is still decreasing. Aside from natural predatorss like dingoes and large owls, koalas face many other dangers. They were hunted close to extinction for their fur during the 20th century. Between 1984 and 2012, the population decreased by 28% due to multiple factors including habitat loss and fragmentation. A more fragemented population leads to more vehicle accidents as individuals search for more food. Travelling on the ground puts them at a greater risk of being attacked by domestic dogs. Increased CO2 in the atmosphere makes the eucalyptus leaves even less nutritious. In the late 2010s, droughts and bushfires caused by climate change, lead to a reduction in tree coverage in Australia. By 2070, 44.61% koalas will be at high risk of bush fires and up to 62% of the their current habitat may be lost. This will make them vulnerable to local extinctions. A further problem is Chlamydia, a disease which makes the females infertile.

We hope you enjoyed this post. Please take part in the vote for the quiz replacement. See you next week!

Your Green World Blog Team💚

Sources
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/09/230918105133.htm
https://www.britannica.com/animal/koala
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/facts/koala

Images:
"Koala", owned by .Dwayne. (on flickr.com), is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0.
"Koala", owned by Ale_Flo13 (on flickr.com), is licensed under CC BY-NC 2.0.
"Closeup of the joey", owned by Tambako the Jaguar (on flickr.com), is licensed under CC BY-ND 2.0.

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