Chill attitude, cuddly appearance, and a tiny brain? Do you have these “Koalifications”? Congratulations, you are a Koala bear. Koala is a tree-dwelling marsupial and the only member of the family Phascolarctidae. These cute creatures are restricted to Australia, particularly to the Eucalyptus forests of the eastern coasts of Australia.
They are about 60-85cm long and an adult weighs about 14kg. The body is stocky and gray with a pale yellow or cream-colored chest. The broad face has a wide, round, leathery nose, small yellow eyes, and big, fluffy ears. Feet are strong and clawed where the two inner digits of the front feet and the innermost digit of the hind feet are opposable for grasping.
I have my own diet
Koalas have one of the smallest brain-to-body ratios in the mammalian world. This is an adaptation for a very calorie deficient diet. They feed only on the leaves of certain Eucalyptus trees which is poisonous to everyone except Koalas. Koalas are generally solitary. Individuals move within a home range of more than a dozen trees, one of which is favored over the other. To aid in digesting about 1.3 kg of leaves daily, and also because of the toxicity of Eucalyptus, it has a 2m long intestinal pouch where symbiotic bacteria degrade complex substances in Eucalyptus leaves. As they eat only Eucalyptus, they only gain a little energy. Therefore, most of the time they spend long hours sitting and sleeping in tree forks. Interestingly, they can sleep for 18 to 22 hours. Koalas do not drink much water as they fulfill the water requirement from Eucalyptus leaves.
Joy of Joey
Koala mothers give birth to a single offspring each time. The gestation period is about 34-46 days. Koala youngsters are called ‘joey’. Joey first puts its head out of the mother’s pouch at about 5 months of age. For up to 6 weeks, it is fed with a soupy, predigested Eucalyptus called ‘pap’ that is lapped directly from the mother’s anus. After weaning, the joey emerges completely from the pouch and hangs on the mother koala’s back until it is nearly a year old.
I want love
During the 1920s and 1930s, a huge number of koalas were killed for their fur. Some were translocated onto small, offshore islands. Koala populations are now scattered and separated by urban areas and farmlands, which makes them locally vulnerable to extinction. Another problem is the infection of many populations with chlamydia, which makes the females infertile. IUCN has listed the koala as a vulnerable species in 2016. The species decreased by nearly 28% between the years 1984 and 2012. That was largely due to habitat loss and fragmentation. Those reasons made animals more susceptible to vehicle strikes and predation by dogs. Natural disasters like droughts and bushfires also contribute to the decline in the koala population.
Koalas lost a considerable amount of their habitats in the 2019-2020 bushfire and have been identified by the Australian government as one of 113 animals requiring urgent help. Many institutions such as wildlife hospitals, rescue organizations, zoos, and volunteers got involved in caring for injured koalas, with the goal of rehabilitating and releasing them back into the wild. Further researches on understanding koala genetics, mating choices, and health status may help the conservation of these innocent creatures.
By Rtr. Kushlani Deshapriya
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