However, that time is long gone. The other partial-truth is that there are five to six small pockets in southern Victoria and South Australia where koalas are overabundant 4 , for reasons that are not understood.
These populations receive a lot of media and research attention, which makes them seem larger than they are. Wild Koala Day is about connecting koalas with habitat protection.
If we are all to enjoy koalas, we need them to survive in the wild, not just in captivity. Act now to save them! On Wild Koala Day, May 3rd, plant a tree, protect the forest and phone a politician! This …. Greece, if you ask a Greek at least, is the birthplace of civilization as we know it. Democracy, …. As the air cools and the leaves start to turn in the US, our mind wistfully turns to thoughts of …. Continue Reading about Last of the Summer Sun Photo Credit: Echidna Walkabout Myth 2: They only eat one type of gum-tree So, these creatures live all over Australia, but only eat one tree?
Myth 3: Koalas are slow Researchers probably wish this were true. Myth 4: Koalas are docile and love to be pet and cuddled These cute creatures are still wild animals and like most wild animals, they prefer to have no contact with humans at all. Photo Credit: Echidna Walkabout Myth 5: They are so numerous, they are hanging out of trees everywhere This is not true.
The idea that humans are not the only species on the planet that get drunk or stoned is gratifying. Let me say it clearly: Koalas are not drunk on eucalyptus. There is no alcohol in eucalyptus to intoxicate them. As a koala researcher, I almost wish this were true. Many times I have left a resting koala, just for 10 minutes, and returned to find they have completely disappeared. A koala can run on the ground at around 32kph, and if frightened, can leap up a tree in 2-metre bounds.
Koalas lead a slow lifestyle most of the time. They rest a lot, due to low nutritional value in their food. But when they move, they can be fast, agile, and powerful. Image: Echidna Walkabout Nature Tours. Koalas live all over eastern Australia and only eat one type of tree?
Koalas in the You Yangs near Melbourne have been recorded eating every one of the 15 species of eucalypt gum tree in the park. Throughout Australia, the gum trees they eat number in the hundreds of species.
This myth may have started from some early scientific research that showed that koalas have a high preference for certain species of eucalyptus in certain regions.
That can be true in some places, but not in others. The rest of the time, they are in blue gums, yellow gums, ironbarks, sugar gums, red box, manna gums—you get the picture.
They have no fur on their nose or the palms of their paws. Koalas have particularly hard bottoms, which is similar to their closest relative, the wombat. For the koala, this feature enables them to wedge comfortably in tree forks for long periods of time, whereas the wombat uses its hard bottom as a defence mechanism.
Koalas have poor vision and rely heavily on their other senses. They have excellent hearing which helps them detect predators and other koalas. They have an acute sense of smell which also helps them detect other koalas and their favourite food trees.
The male uses a scent gland on his chest to mark trees and attract females, by rubbing his chest up and down the trunk. The gland oozes a clear, oily, strong musky smelling liquid. The size, colour and shape of koalas differs slightly across eastern Australia. Koalas have strong arms, powerful legs and sharp claws suitable for climbing trees. Koalas are arboreal tree dwelling mammals, however, they do climb down to the ground to move between trees.
When koalas are on the ground, they walk slowly as they are poorly adapted to walking on the ground, however when disturbed koalas can break into a bounding gallop, moving at speeds of up to 30km per hour.
They have two opposable thumbs on their fore paws, allowing them a better grip—essential for climbing smooth barked gum trees.
When climbing, koalas leave behind characteristic scratches in the bark, which remain visible until the bark is shed each year, allowing you to gauge how frequently koalas use that particular tree. Stringybark trees that have been regularly climbed by koalas will also have the outer layer of weathered bark scratched away, exposing the fresh layer beneath.
Adult male koalas are noticeably larger than adult female koalas, with a broader face and distinctly larger black nose, and can easily be distinguished by the large scent gland on their chest. Adult female koalas have a relatively clean white chest and a backward facing pouch for their young. This type of pouch protects their young from injury while moving around from tree to tree.
This is a shared trait with wombats who use this to protect their young from being covered in dirt during when digging burrows. Koalas eat a variety of eucalypt leaves and a few other related tree species, including lophostemon, melaleuca and corymbia species such as brush box, paperbark and bloodwood trees. This removes the need for a koala to climb down a tree for a drink of water, except during very hot or dry periods. Eucalypt leaves contain many toxic compounds similar to that of cyanide, which most animals cannot eat.
This unique diet is shared only with possum and gliders, and provides koalas with access to a relatively untapped food resource. Koalas are able to break down the toxic oils using a specialised digestive system. First, the leaves are ground into a paste by the koala's heavily ridged molars, allowing any nutrients to be absorbed in the stomach.
Toxins in the leaves are isolated by the liver and excreted as waste in their urine and faeces. The residue is then broken down by specialised bacteria in an elongated, coiled sac the caecum that branches off the large intestine before any remaining nutrients are digested. Koalas are not born with this bacteria in their system and need to acquire it from their mother when they are young.
Koalas can sleep for up to 20 hours a day, due to their low energy diet, and the intense amount of energy required to break down toxic leaves. Koalas are mostly active at night nocturnal and around dawn and dusk.
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