Koala Q&A - facts about Koalas

Ranger Rick, Dec, 1995 by Kathleen Kranking

Q. Are koalas really little bears?

A. No. Koalas may look like teddy bears, but they aren't bears at all. They're marsupials (mar-SOO-pee-ulz), just like kangaroos, opossums, and other koala cousins. Most marsupial moms carry their young in belly pouches.

Q. Would a koala make a good pet?

A. Koalas look cuddly. But like other wild animals, they don't make good pets. Koalas have long claws (see photo) and sharp teeth, and they can be fierce fighters.

Q. Where do wild koalas live?

A. Koalas live in the eastern part of Australia in forests of eucalyptus (YOU-kuh-LIP-tus) trees. Koalas that live in Australia's northeastern forests are smaller than the ones that live in the southeast.

Q. What do koalas do all day long?

A. Not much! Koalas spend most of the day sleeping--often as long as 18 to 22 hours.

They're usually active only at night. But even "active" koalas don't seem peppy. They creep slowly through the trees, doing their second-favorite thing to sleeping. Can you guess what that is? Eating!

Q. What do they eat?

A. Eucalyptus leaves are their main food. (See the big photo on pull-out poster.) Each koala munches down about 2.5 pounds (1.1 kg) of leaves every day. That's why koalas live only in eucalyptus forests. In fact, koalas eat so many leaves that they even smell like them!

Koalas usually don't need to drink water. They can get what they need from water inside the leaves.

Q. Are koalas the world's most popular animals?

A. That's hard to say for sure. But koalas certainly are adored by people everywhere.

Koala pictures are found on everything from T-shirts to postage stamps (below). And you can buy stuffed koala toys of all sizes. At zoos and preserves that have koalas, people flock to see the animals close up. A live koala has even been the star of TV commercials for an airline company.

Q. How do koalas get around in trees?

A. Koalas have a great sense of balance, and they also have some built-in tools that help them climb. Most other animals have trouble getting a grip on the hard bark of eucalyptus trees. But the koalas' sharp, hook-like claws really dig in and hang on.

The sole of each foot is also covered by a thick pad. (See dark area on rear left foot, at left). The skin and plump pad keep the feet from slipping. And koalas have three fingers and two "thumbs" on each foot, which work like your thumbs to help them grasp branches tightly.

Q. Can koalas jump?

A. Koalas can jump from branch to branch in a tree. And they can jump from one tree to another. But usually they climb backward down to the ground when they want to move from tree to tree.

Q. How do koalas sleep without falling?

A. They usually wedge themselves between a branch and a tree trunk (right). And their great sense of balance lets them flop over branches high in the trees and sleep without falling.

Q. Do koalas hang around in groups?

A. Female koalas share trees with their babies and sometimes with their mates.

If a male koala climbs up another male's tree, there may be a fight. Or sometimes one male will chase the other to the very end of a branch. There the loser may hang on for hours while the winner sits at the other end of the branch, not letting the loser back down!

Q. Do koalas make any noises?

A. Male koalas make a sound like a loud snore, followed by a lot of louder burping sounds. These calls attract females and warn other males to stay away. Females usually make squealing noises, but they snore too. When a koala is frightened, it wails like a human baby.

Q. Why does a baby live inside its mother's pouch?

A. Koala cubs are born not quite "done." They are naked, blind, and only about the size of a jellybean. If they didn't stay in their mothers' warm, furry pouches, they couldn't survive.

Koala pouches are like upside-down pockets. Right after a koala cub is born, it crawls a few inches to the opening of the pouch.

Once the baby is inside the pouch, it finds a nipple. Can you see the tiny pink nipple the baby is sucking on in the top photo above?

Q. How long does a cub stay in the pouch?

A. The baby stays completely inside for the first five months. Then it begins poking its head out of the pouch. It may even fall asleep with its head hanging out! (below left)

Even though the cub is still nursing, it now also feeds on eucalyptus leaves and its mother's droppings. These droppings have bacteria in them that help the cub digest the leaves.

After another four to six weeks, the baby leaves the pouch for good. For the next few weeks it clings to its mother's belly (right). Later, it will ride around on her back.

Q. How long does a koala cub stay with its mother?

A. The cub stops riding on Mom's back by the time it's a year old. By then it can pluck leaves from the trees by itself. But the cub often shares a tree with Mom for a while longer.

Q. Do koalas have a lot of enemies?

A. When koalas run along the ground from tree to tree, wild dogs called dingoes sometimes kill them. But the koalas' worst enemies have been humans.

Millions of koalas once lived in Australia. Then people started killing them for their soft fur. They also cut down the koalas' eucalyptus forests. By the early 1900s, koalas were gone from many areas where they once had lived. Finally, people began to worry about losing them altogether. So the Australians made a law against killing any more koalas.