Koala’s

BY Isabell G.

Why I Chose This

• I chose this animal because they are very interesting to me. I think they are very fascinating to look at, they look very fluffy, and soft. I would also like to get a koala so this will help me learn about them.

Koala’s Habitat

• They live in Eastern Australia, but that’s the only place they live. They sleep and live in eucalyptus trees. They live in them because it is dry, hot, and light there.

Koala’s Appearance

• They look like teddy bears, and have long soft brown or gray fur. Surprisingly they don’t have a tail. Their ears are round, and they have round stomachs. Their noses have little hairs that help them find eucalyptus trees. They have black eyes, their bodies are pear shaped, they have pads on their butt, and have very sharp teeth and claws.

What Do They Eat

• They eat eucalyptus tree leafs. Each day they eat 2.5 pounds of them. They are very picky eaters on what they eat. Koala’s usually eat the moist eucalyptus tree tender tips. One meal can give the koala all the food and water it needs. The koala gets the water from the eucalyptus tree leaves.

Koala Cubs

Female koala’s have a pouch to carry their young. They usually only produce one young very rarely twins. When the cub is twenty four weeks old it usually has all of its fur and it starting to get teeth. When the cub is 48 weeks old they are a lot more adventurous and when the mom leaves the koala cubs no longer squeak. When 48 weeks old the mother and cub sleep back to back.

Fun Facts

• Their noses are hairless. They can run as fast as a bunny. They have five toes, but two of them are separated from the other three. When a koala is born it usually weighs half of a gram, but when it get’s older they can weigh 15-30 pounds. They can live to be 12- 20 years old. Lots of koalas are killed for their soft fur. Their Latin name is Phascolartcos cinereus. Their predators are humans.

Koala History

• One time in history there were different kinds of koalas, but now only one has survived. The first known member of the koala family lived fifteen years ago and it was called a Browser. Scientist have found fossils of a koala twice the size of the koala’s we see today. It existed more than forty thousand years ago. On January 26, 1798 a European spotted a koala, and it was the 1st recording of it.

Koalas Behavior

• They are nocturnal mammals. They can sleep for 16 hours each day. They live in eucalyptus trees so they are called arboreal. They are mammals that don’t live in groups they like to be alone.

Koala Diseases

• Koalas have four common diseases and is caused by the chlamydia organism. It can cause conjunctivitis which could cause blindness, pneumonia, and urinary tract infections. The symptoms are sore eyes, chest infections, and dirty tail. This disease has bean amongst the koala species for many years.