The word koala is an Aboriginal word meaning "no water". This refers to the koala's ability to obtain most of its moisture requirements from gum leaves.

Appearance...

Koalas similarities to a teddy bear often gave them the name "koala bear", but there is no relation to the bear family. Koalas have soft thick fur often grey or brown in colour with a white belly, a large hairless nose, round ears and almost no tail. They have only one pair of lower incisors in the lower jaw and only one well-developed pair in the upper jaw (there are no canines), though if they are sufficiently provoked by an over friendly human the Koala will not hesitate to use them.

Lifestyle...

Koalas sharp, strong, curved claws , long toes and strong grip enable them to spend most of their time asleep in a fork of a eucalyptus tree. At night they move about and feed, most of their activity takes place just after sunset.

Koalas are skillful climbers, getting up tree trunks by clasping them with the sharp claws of their 'hands' and then bringing the hindfeet up together in a bounding movement. When walking on a branch koalas grip with the first toe of the hindfoot and with the first two digits of the 'hand' opposed to the other three.

Diet...

Koalas only feed on leaves of certain types of eucalypt. Eucalyptus leaves have a very high fibre and low protein content. They contain strong smelling oils, phenolic compounds and sometimes even cyanide precursors which makes them unpleasant or even poisonous for most mammals. A fully grown koala eats a bit more than one kilogram of leaves a day. To cope with this diet, koalas had to make several adaptations, most notably develop an enlarged caesum - first part of the large intestine, in which microbial fermentation takes place.

Breeding...

Koalas in the forest live a solitary life, with their population well spread out. Breeding occurs in summer; most mature females produce only one young each year. This may weigh less than half a kilogram at birth and will remain in the pouch for the first six months, then it will spend a further six months riding around on its mothers back. After leaving the pouch, the koalas feed on a mixed diet of milk and leaves, they are not fully weaned until they are 12 months old. When fully grown a koala measures from 64 to 76 cm and will weigh around 7 to 14 kilograms.

Where to find koalas...

If you are patient and have a good eye, koalas can be found all down the east coast from Townsville to Melbourne. If you wish to see them in the wild there are certain parks where the rangers mark sightings each day, i.e Tidbinbilla wildlife reserve in Australian Capital Territory.