"Teaching people about the world in which we live."
"Teaching people about the world in which we live."
Koala's are very interesting creatures. Their body's are rounded and covered with thick gray fur. Koala's faces are round with a leathery nose. The length of an adult is 24 - 33 inches. Each five toes has a long, strong claw. Two out of five claws on each paw are opposable. These claws help the koala's hang on weather they are awake or asleep.
Koala's live in the eucalyptus forests in eastern Australia and on Kangaroo Island. They spend most of their time in the trees, eating and sleeping. They hardly ever go to the ground, even for water. This is because the water they need is provided by the leaves that they eat. Even their name, "koala", means "no drink" in the Native Australian language. Koala's mostly eat Eucalyptus leaves, but occasionally dine on mistletoe, or box leaves. Due to their diet, koalas smell a little like cough drops. The eucalyptus tree provides all the koala's needs.
Koala sleep during the day and eat at night. They are lazy, often staying in the same place for days. Males are little more active then females. Koalas usually are peaceful amongst their own families. However, sometimes, the males will fight over mates and territory. When they eat they do so from the base of the leaf to the top. These unique habits distinguish the koala.
Female koalas only have one baby at a time. Their babies, at birth, are only one inch long. When born koala babies crawl into their mother's pouch and stay there for six months. After that time the baby koala will come out of the pouch and either take piggy back rides on its mom or grasp onto the mother's front side. The babies long claws are needed for hanging onto mom and for survival. Koala females have to be good and patient mothers.
Koalas almost became extinct because hunters killed them for their soft fur. They are now protected by Australian law and making a strong come back. Koala's are beautiful creatures; hopefully someday I will get to see one.
