Koalas! A worldwide symbol of Australia! As soon as Australia is heard of, Koalas and Kangaroos come into our mind and vice versa. Ready for some information about one cute creature? Here are some interesting facts about these adorable koalas!
Koala Babies
If you think koala babies are super cute, well, let me tell you that they are hairless and the size of a bean! They cling into their mother’s pouch for first six months and for the next three months, they tend to clutch onto her fur during the day time and returning to the pouch during the nights.
Swimmer
A koala is an excellent swimmer and if it has to, it can cross a whole river! Now that’s the kind of exercise one needs.
Nocturnal
Koalas are famous for being nocturnal creatures! But did you know that’s because they sleep for 18 hours per day? This sedentary lifestyle also results in low development of brain and surviving on a nutrient lacking diet.
The Fittest
Chlamydia is an organism which lives in the body of healthy Koalas. Normally it is believed that Chlamydia may act as an inbuilt control mechanism to limit the population so that the trees are not over browsed, ensuring that only the strongest and fittest animals survive.
Chlamydia can also make them sick but that’s mostly when they are stressed about habitat destruction.
No Water
Koalas do not drink much water and most of the water comes from the leaves of the tree where they live. In Aborigine language, koala actually means “without water” or “no water”. Guess this pretty much explains.
Picky Eaters
Koalas are very picky when it comes to the choice of leaves. There are about 600 varieties of eucalyptus but koalas just eat only three or four of them. Also, they like to choose it from the kind of eucalyptus that is available in their “area”. So koalas from different regions have different diets.
Number
There are only about 8,000 koalas left and still they’re not considered an endangered species by the government. Australia has lost 90% of the koala population since few years mostly because of razing off the forests and trees leading to destruction of their habitat.
Paws
Koalas have 5 fingers on front paw. This helps them to hold firmly onto the branches and to grip their food. The 2nd and 3rd fingers on their hind paws are fused together to form a grooming claw.
