25 Fun Facts
25 Koala Facts: Australia's Sleepy Eucalyptus Eaters
With their fluffy ears, button noses and sleepy expressions, koalas are among the most loved animals in the world. They spend nearly their whole lives up in eucalyptus trees, munching leaves that would poison most other animals.
Here are 25 fascinating facts about koalas, from their jelly-bean-sized babies to fingerprints so human-like they could fool a detective.
Koala Facts
Koalas are not bears. They are marsupials, like kangaroos and wombats, and carry their young in a pouch.
Early European settlers called them "koala bears" because they looked a bit like small teddy bears, and the nickname stuck.
Koalas live only in eastern and south-eastern Australia, in Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia.
Their closest living relative is the wombat.
Adult koalas weigh about 4 to 15 kilograms. Koalas in the cooler south are bigger and have thicker fur than those in the warm north.
A newborn koala is about the size of a jelly bean. It is born blind and hairless and crawls straight into its mother's pouch.
A koala's pouch opens towards the bottom, but a strong muscle keeps the joey safely inside.
A joey stays in the pouch for about six months, then rides on its mother's back until it is around a year old.
Female koalas usually have just one joey a year.
Baby koalas eat a special "pap" to digest eucalyptus
Eucalyptus leaves are tough and toxic, and a newborn koala's stomach can't handle them. So when a joey is around six months old, its mother produces a special soft dropping called pap, which the joey eats straight from her. Pap is full of helpful gut microbes that let the young koala start breaking down eucalyptus leaves. It may sound strange, but it's an important step before the joey can survive on leaves alone.
Koalas eat eucalyptus leaves almost exclusively. Out of hundreds of eucalyptus species, they feed on only a small number.
Eucalyptus leaves are poisonous to most animals, but koalas have a special liver and a very long gut section, about 2 metres long, to break down the toxins.
An adult koala eats around 200 to 500 grams of leaves a day.
Their leafy diet gives them very little energy, so koalas sleep or rest for 18 to 22 hours a day.
Koalas get most of the water they need from leaves, but they do drink, especially in hot, dry weather. They have even been filmed licking rainwater running down tree trunks.
The name "koala" is often said to come from an Aboriginal word meaning "no water", although experts debate this.
Koalas have two thumbs on each front paw, which help them grip branches tightly.
On their back feet, two toes are joined together, and koalas use them like a comb to groom their fur.
Their thick, woolly fur works like a raincoat, helping water run off during storms.
Koalas have fingerprints almost identical to ours
Koalas are one of the few animals besides primates to have fingerprints, and theirs look remarkably like human fingerprints, with similar loops and swirls. They are so alike that even under a microscope they can be very hard to tell apart. Scientists think the ridges help koalas grip branches and feel which leaves are best to eat.
On hot days, koalas cool down by hugging the cooler lower trunks of trees.
Male koalas make a surprisingly deep, loud bellow, like a cross between a snore and a growl, to attract females and warn rivals.
Males have a scent gland on their chest, which they rub on trees to mark their territory.
Koalas are mostly solitary, and each one has its own favourite home trees.
Koalas are listed as endangered in Queensland, New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory, threatened by habitat loss, bushfires, disease and dog attacks.
Sources and Further Reading
- Australian Koala Foundation
- Australian Government Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water
- Australian Museum
- San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance
- Encyclopaedia Britannica
- National Geographic
Frequently asked questions
Are koalas bears?
No. Koalas are marsupials, which means they carry their babies in a pouch. They are more closely related to wombats and kangaroos than to bears.
Where do koalas live?
Koalas live only in eastern and south-eastern Australia, in eucalyptus forests and woodlands in Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia.
Why do koalas sleep so much?
Eucalyptus leaves give koalas very little energy and take a lot of effort to digest, so koalas rest or sleep for 18 to 22 hours a day.
What do koalas eat?
Koalas eat eucalyptus leaves almost exclusively. They choose from only a small number of eucalyptus species and eat around 200 to 500 grams of leaves a day.
How big is a baby koala?
A newborn koala is about the size of a jelly bean. It is born blind and hairless and spends about six months growing inside its mother's pouch.
Are koalas endangered?
Koalas are listed as endangered in Queensland, New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory, mainly because of habitat loss, bushfires, disease and dog attacks.
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