KOALA
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The koala is a marsupial found in Australia.. A
marsupial is an animal which the female carries her very young baby in a pouch. There are
three kinds of koalas. The largest koala is the Victoria, it has darker fur to keep it
warmer because it's habitat is usually in a cooler region. The New South Wales koala is
the middle sized koala. It's ears are shaggier than the Queensland koala. The Queensland
koala is the smallest and it is brown with a white chest. Koalas are found only in
eucalyptus forests of eastern Australia. The animals frequent high eucalyptus trees,
feeding only on the leaves and flowers of certain species of eucalyptus A koala sleeps an average of 18 to 22 hours per day!! A koala can adapt to any kind of weather, and they don't need shelter in bad weather because of their thick fur. A koala eats the exact amount of protein by eating one to three pounds each day of the leaves of an eculyptus tree. A koala is nocturnal so it only eats at night. In appearance the animal somewhat resembles the toy teddy bear; in habits it somewhat resembles a sloth. The koala reaches a maximum length of about 76 cm (about 2.5 ft) and has a maximum life span of about 20 years. It has a large, round head with large, round, furry ears and a stout body covered with thick ashy-gray fur. The animal has a vestigial tail. Its legs are short; its feet are large, and each has five toes, two of which are opposable to the other three. Each toe bears a strong claw. The female bears one baby at a time. The young koala is then kept in the mother's pouch for about six months, after which time it rides upon her back until it is half grown. . The animal is lethargic and often remains in the same tree for days.
The males are more active than the females and feed during the day; the females sleep all
day and feed at night. Koalas sleep curled up on the limbs of trees, firmly grasping the
limbs with their feet. |