13 Fun Facts About Koalas

The koala is a marsupial native to Australia. There are two species of koalas that are well known for their furry coats and adorable faces. They are named after their appearance; The common koala (Phascolarctos cinereus) has a brownish-gray coat, while the rare black-footed koala (Phascolosoma nigripes) is covered with black fur. Koalas live in groups called clans. Each clan contains a dominant male, several females, and their young. In these clans, the males fight each other for breeding rights with the strongest male gaining access to several females. A female can have her joey removed from her pouch at any time and raise it herself. This means she can leave the clan if she wants to. When they're not fighting, koalas spend much of their time eating eucalyptus leaves and gum trees. Their diet consists mainly of leaves, but they also eat fruits and insects. 

Here are 13 Facts about Koalas

1. Koalas are marsupials that are native to Australia. They have been around since the early Miocene period about 23 million years ago. Today they can only be found in Australia, Tasmania, New Guinea, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Papua New Guinea. There are currently approximately 10,000 koalas left in the wild.

2. Koalas eat eucalyptus leaves. Their diet consists of about 50% eucalyptus and 25% grasses. Koalas spend most of their time eating and sleeping. They sleep for 20 hours a day! When they are awake, they spend the majority of their time resting or grooming themselves.

3. A koala's lifespan is 15-20 years. Females tend to live longer than males.

4. Koalas are nocturnal animals. This means they go to sleep at night and wake up during the day. Most people would probably think this makes them lazy but actually, it helps keep them warm in the winter.

5. The average weight of a male koala is between 7-and 12 kg (15-26 lbs). Females weigh less, usually between 5-and 9 kg (11-19 lbs).

6. Koalas are very social animals. Males and females form strong bonds and stay together for life.

7. Their name comes from koala-gum trees, which they eat for their nutritious leaves.

8. There are two species of koalas—the eastern gray (or gray) koala and the western gray koala. However, both can be distinguished by their color; oriental gray with dark brown hairs with white underparts while gray in the west with light gray hairs with pale yellow underparts.

9. Koalas are nocturnal animals. They sleep during the day and wake at night to hunt for food.

10. Like many mammals, koalas use their noses to smell where food is located. They then dig into the ground and pull out the food using their paws.

11. When a koala eats, its digestive system breaks down the food into smaller pieces. This helps the koala digest the food more easily.

12. Koalas are nocturnal animals. This means they go to sleep at night and wake up during the day. Most people would probably think this makes them lazy but it helps keep them warm in the winter.

13. Male collars have pockets larger than females. These pouches help collect food. They are also used to carry joeys, young kangaroo-like mammals.