Oz Wildlife (I): The Koala (OJG)

Hey all,

Well this is another new blog sub series, bringing you all a bit closer to some of those very strange and wonderful Australian creatures (non beer drinking ones).

And today we are going to talk about that cute little bear, the Koala. I am starting off with this one in particular for a reason that will become apparent as you read on.

So, as all you keen readers will know, we got to spend a little bit of time with a few Koalas at a special sanctuary for them on Magnetic island. I highly recommend it. We learnt the following:

• The Koala gets its name from an Aboriginal word which means "no drink".
• The Koala does not drink at all, instead getting all of its water from its food.
• The Koala eats solely gum leaves, of which eucalyptus leaves are a sub species. It is one of 3 animals which can eat these leaves.
• Koalas are very fussy eaters, and although there are over 600 types of eucalypts in Australia, the Koala will not eat most of these.
  
• The Eucalyptus leaf is unfortunately very low on protein and really not a good nutritional source of food. As such it takes the Koala about 18 hours to digest.
  
• It is because of this that the Koala sleeps a lot, and appears slow. It is the absolute master of conserving energy, as it has very little.
• They have a very short attention span, the Koala brain is about the size of a pea, again an energy saving step!
• Koalas have a very keen sense of smell and touch, but poor eyesight.
• Koalas weigh an average of 9k, although the average weight differs depending upon region and climate.
• Myth 1: Eucalyptus leaves do not make Koalas high like marijuana. Read above about low energy!
• Myth 2: Koalas look really cute and dopey, but if you aggravate one it has large claws that can swipe very quickly and cause extreme lacerations.
• In the outback, male Koalas can be heard during the night barking like a large dog.
• A wild Koala will spend many days in one tree eating its eucalyptus leaves, until it has finished the supply, at which point it will just move into the next tree.
• Koalas used to spend just as much time on the ground, until Westerners arrived and started hunting them for the fur. They have since evolved to spend nearly all their time high above.
• A healthy Koala has a little bit of a belly, due to the long digestion system.
  
• If you tickle a Koala's rear, it thinks that this is another Koala encroaching on its territory and will go into "fight mode!". You have been warned.
  
• The koala can be grumpy in the morning, and only starts to get really active in the later hours of the day
• Koala babies are called Joeys, and once born the baby will make its way completely unaided to the mother's pouch where it will spend the next year growing. If the mother does not give birth the following year, the Joey will spend up to another year in the pouch. This will greatly improve this Joey's chances of survival.
  

If you need more Koala info click here

So let me recap: the Koala likes to sleep a lot; it is grumpy in the morning; it has a keen sense of smell, but poor eyesight; it has a short attention span; it drink almost nothing; it can look cute, but can go into fight mode in a split second.... Yes, I married a Koala!