Where does the funny koala live? Brief information about the koala Life of a koala

Australia is the only place on the planet where the koala lives - an unusual marsupial that looks like a funny teddy bear. It is impossible to confuse him with another living creature, he is so unique.

Koala: appearance

This is a small animal belonging to the family of marsupials, weighing from 7 to 16 kg. The koala is easily recognized by its large, wide head, on which a large nose with a black back, fur-covered ears and small eyes stand out.

The thick gray coat is short, soft, slightly darker on the back and lighter in the belly area. This animal spends its entire life on a tree, so its limbs are very strong, adapted to grasp the tree when climbing. This is also helped by sharp, long claws that can support the weight of the animal. Until now, scientists cannot decide whether the koala is a bear, a raccoon or something else. In zoos where koalas live, there is always a large crowd of people wanting to see these amazing and unusual animals.

Habitats

These marsupials live only in the southeastern part of Australia and on neighboring islands. Many years ago they inhabited the entire continent, but with the advent of settlers they were forced out of their original places. The natives treat this animal with great respect. According to ancient legend, it was the giant ancestor of the koala that helped people get to this continent.

The forests where the koala lives are mostly humid tropical and subtropical. These animals usually settle near water, where there is a lot of eucalyptus growing. The leaves of this plant are the only food that the koala eats. The marsupial bear spends almost its entire life in the crowns of eucalyptus trees, descending only to move to other thickets.

Diet of the marsupial bear

The koala's diet is not varied. These are exclusively leaves and young shoots of eucalyptus. These parts of the plant contain a small amount of protein and a lot of toxic compounds, including. It has been established that a daily portion of leaves eaten by a koala contains such an amount of poison that can kill any other animal. This is probably why neither predators nor hunters are interested in koalas as prey.

These animals choose the types of eucalyptus most suitable for feeding, preferring those trees that grow on higher ground. In their leaves, the concentration of poison is much lower. Their developed sense of smell helps the animals find the plants they need. In captivity there is no such choice, which can even lead to poisoning. An interesting fact is that, living in a certain part of the continent, the animals feed only on those growing near their “home”. That is why they very carefully accustom this animal to a new diet in the zoo where koalas live. A country located on another continent is forced to import leaves for the animal from the area from which it was brought. A koala requires up to 1 kg of leaves per day. This animal practically does not drink water at all. It needs enough moisture from the succulent leaves.

Features of a koala

This animal has some interesting features that make it truly unique. available on his fingerprints, is practically indistinguishable from a human one. Even with fairly large parents, whose weight is at least 8 kg, the baby is born absolutely tiny, the size of a bean grain and weighing only 6 g. It grows up, already being in a well-developed leathery fold located on the mother’s abdomen and resembling a bag.

The baby stays there for six months, feeding on mother's milk. Then he climbs onto the mother’s back. Where the koala lives, there are no arboreal predators that pose a threat, so this animal is always very slow and calm.

Lifestyle of a marsupial bear

This animal is capable of sleeping directly on branches for up to 20 hours a day, only moving through the trees at night to get food. This inactivity is explained by the too slow metabolism of this animal, which causes the need for energy to be greatly reduced. Koalas can remain completely motionless for several hours.

But in times of danger, they are able to make excellent jumps and move quite quickly, including in water.

With their slowness and inactivity, these animals are even more reminiscent of a soft toy. Such a funny appearance captivates people, and they happily tame the animals.

And then it doesn’t matter where the koala lives, in what country, it adapts very easily, becoming a domestic and friendly animal.

Marsupials

Australia is a country famous for the unusual animals that live there, completely different from those that we are used to seeing in our homeland. They differ not only in appearance, but also have a special body structure. The country where the koala lives is famous for other marsupials. All of them are united by a fold of skin on the stomach that resembles a bag. It is in it that the females carry their cubs for several months until they grow up. But even children who are already grown up and able to move independently do not part with their mother’s bag for a long time.

Another very famous marsupial animal is the kangaroo. It has been known to everyone since childhood. The bear-like burrowing herbivore is called a wombat and can reach a size of up to a meter and weigh about 40 kg. A rather beautiful small animal is the marsupial anteater nambat, which feeds on termites. A very family of marsupials, the spotted marten, is on the verge of extinction. This is a predator that feeds on small animals - mice, rabbits, birds, etc. And yet, Australia is most famous as the country where koalas and kangaroos live. They can rightfully be considered the hallmark of this continent.

If a competition were held among the representatives of the animal world of our planet for the cutest animal, then the koala, or the Australian marsupial, would probably take one of the prizes there. After all, he looks so much like a little teddy bear, so beloved by children. Did you know that the word “koala” from one of the Australian aboriginal languages ​​is translated as “does not drink”? That is, this is what the indigenous Australians (by the way, far from our European depravity with alcoholic beverages) nicknamed this animal because it almost never drinks water, although later zoologists found that, although occasionally, koalas still drink water.

Koala: description, structure, characteristics. What does a koala look like?

Although the koala is called a marsupial bear, or an Australian bear, due to some external similarity, it has nothing to do with real bears; the koala and the bear are not even distant relatives. The koala belongs to the family of marsupials, which is represented by three species: koalas themselves, wombats and kangaroos. The wombat is the closest relative of the koala.

The appearance of the koala is very unusual. Its fur is short and thick, usually gray, smoky in color, but there are koalas with brown shades. But her belly is always white.

The koala's body length is 60-85 cm, with a weight of up to 14 kg.

The koala's eyes are small and blind, vision is not its greatest advantage, but the koala's weak vision is fully compensated by its excellent hearing and sense of smell. The koala's large ears are located at the edges of its head and are also covered with fur. The koala also has a large flattened black nose.

Koala teeth are ideal for eating plants; however, all marsupials, including wombats, these closest relatives of koalas, have a similar tooth structure.

And since koalas live mainly in trees, nature gave them tenacious front paws with long claws (promoting tenacity). Each koala's front paw has two double-phalangeal thumbs and three standard three-phalangeal toes. The hind legs are arranged differently - on the koala’s foot there is only one big toe, which is devoid of nails, and four ordinary toes. Thanks to their tenacious front paws, koalas easily cling to tree branches and in this position they dine, rest and even sleep.

Does a koala have a tail? Yes, there is, but only the koala’s tail is so short that it is practically invisible under the fur.

Where do koalas live?

All koalas, as well as the entire family of marsupials in general, live on only one continent - Australia.

History of the discovery of koalas

Interestingly, the discoverer of Australia, the famous English navigator James Cook, never discovered koalas, despite the fact that there were plenty of koalas at his landing site. Well, Captain Cook was just unlucky to meet them. And the first European to see these unique animals with his own eyes was the English naval officer Barallier. In 1820, he sent the body of a dead koala to the governor of New South Wales, and a year later a live koala was caught for the first time. Since then, this unique animal has become the subject of passion and research of many European zoologists.

How long do koalas live?

The lifespan of a koala in the wild is 13-18 years.

What does a koala eat?

What do koalas eat? All of them are herbivorous vegetarians, and their main source of food is shoots and eucalyptus. Interestingly, koalas have practically no food competitors, since eucalyptus leaves, which contain little protein and also contain hydrocyanic acid, are not interesting for other herbivores. But even among eucalyptus trees, not all leaves and shoots are suitable for food for koalas; thanks to their well-developed sense of smell, they are able to select the least toxic among them. In general, according to zoologists, koalas eat only 120 species of eucalyptus out of 800 found in nature.

A koala eats from 0.5 to 1.1 kg of leaves per day, and this is relatively little, but since all koalas are phlegmatic and inactive, this is enough for them. Also, sometimes they can eat ordinary soil, thus they compensate for the lack of certain minerals in the body.

As for the name of the koala - “non-drinker”, to some extent it is justified, since all marsupials consume very little moisture; koalas usually need morning dew that settles on the leaves and the moisture present in eucalyptus leaves to quench their thirst . But during periods of illness or drought, koalas can drink water from various fresh sources, as all other animals do.

Koala lifestyle

All koalas are nocturnal; during the day they sleep peacefully on branches, and at night they climb these same branches in search of food. In general, these are very calm, good-natured, phlegmatic animals, leading a solitary, one might even say hermit, life. Koalas unite only for reproduction, and so they prefer to live separately, each koala has its own territory, and if the boundaries of this territory are violated by another koala, then the peacefulness of the koala can be replaced by aggressive behavior.

But koalas are usually friendly to people and are easily tamed. Now in Australia there are many koala nurseries where you can easily pet a koala, even pick it up.

Koala's enemies

In natural conditions, koalas have practically no enemies, since even wild dogs, dingoes, these Australian predators generally avoid koalas because of their bright eucalyptus scent. But human activity has had a very detrimental effect on their population; recently, roads are increasingly cutting through Australian eucalyptus forests, the patrimony of koalas, and often clumsy and slow koalas die under the wheels of cars.

Types of koalas

In fact, koalas are represented by only one species, this is the common koala, Australian, and it is described in our article.

Koala breeding

The mating season for koalas begins in October and lasts until February. During this period, female koalas begin to select their love partners. The larger the male koala, and the louder he is able to scream, the more attractive he will be to females. It is also very interesting that among koalas there are many times fewer males than females, there are simply fewer of them born, and as a result, one male usually fertilizes from three to five females per season.

The pregnancy of a female koala lasts 30-35 days, after which a single cub is born; in very rare cases, twins can be born. Also, pregnancy in a female koala can only happen once every two years. Small koalas are born naked, hairless, and at first are under the close care of their mother, drink breast milk and sit in a pouch like cubs.

Having matured a little, little koalas begin to climb onto the mother’s scruff, clinging to the fur. After a year, they become ready for adult life, but they remain close to their mother until they are two or three years old. Only after reaching sexual maturity, in the second or third year of life, do they leave their mother forever to become independent adult koalas.

Despite its peaceful nature, keeping a koala at home is not the best idea; more precisely, it is simply absolutely not possible due to the feeding habits of these animals. As we wrote above, koalas eat leaves and shoots of eucalyptus trees, but, unfortunately, they are not able to digest other food. But even among eucalyptus leaves, picky koalas eat only 120 varieties out of 800, and you won’t be able to determine exactly which leaves are suitable for koalas and which are not. For this reason, koalas can live exclusively in their natural territory in eucalyptus forests.

• The male koala has a forked penis, while the female has two vaginas and, accordingly, two uteruses. However, one should not be surprised, since a similar structure of the genital organs is characteristic of all animals of the marsupial family.
• The koala is one of the rare mammals that has unique patterns on the pads of its toes. Apart from koalas, only a few people have this, and of course, humans.
• The koala has a very slow metabolism, a metabolism that determines its natural slowness. In this it is surpassed only by the even slower one, about which there is also an interesting article on our website.

Koala video

And finally, an interesting documentary about koalas.

This article is available in English - .

There are many interesting facts you can tell about koalas. Here are ten of the most original ones.

Koalas can hold food in their stomachs for more than eight days

This animal feeds on eucalyptus leaves. To get more energy from this plant-based diet, the koala ferments some of what it eats. Fermentation occurs not in the stomach itself, but in the intestines. In the process, bacteria destroy the plant mixture, which releases nutrients that are absorbed by the body. Despite this, koalas have a rather modest menu. These animals have developed a special digestive mechanism with a reduced metabolism, in addition, they have a relatively small brain size. This allows them to compensate for the lack of calories and nutrients in their diet.

Koalas only like thirty of the six hundred species of eucalyptus.

More than six hundred varieties of eucalyptus trees can be found in their habitats, but koalas only like to eat from about thirty of them. Animals usually choose those species that have a high protein content. Interestingly, koalas eat not only eucalyptus leaves, but also the foliage of other plants, such as acacia. However, they really prefer eucalyptus leaves to all others. They get most of the water they need from their food. Female koalas can only survive on it. This is truly amazing! Male koalas sometimes drink a little.

Koalas sleep twenty hours a day

If you thought that cats sleep the most, you were wrong! Cats sleep about sixteen hours a day, but koalas can nap for four hours more! The nature of this phenomenon is in a diet poor in nutrients. Koalas spend a minimum of energy, which leads to activity for a maximum of four hours, during which the animal feeds on foliage. The rest of the time is left for rest. Koalas do not usually go to a specific place to sleep - most feed and rest in the same tree. That's why it's so easy to photograph them, because they sit in the same place for hours and hardly move.

Koalas only communicate for fifteen minutes a day

Sometimes communication takes so much energy! Koalas don't spend much of it on things like social activity. At the same time, they do not have problems with neighbors - there are usually always permanent residents in one area, as well as those who wander from territory to territory. Despite their cute appearance, koalas can fight fiercely for the right to breed within their borders. At the same time, the animals make strange sounds. Mother koalas are particularly harsh.

The secretions from the gland on the koala's chest contain more than forty chemical elements.

Koalas practically do not communicate in real time, but they are able to leave information to each other using smells. When a male koala finds a new tree, he sniffs the bark to see if there are any marks left by other males. Then he climbs up and rubs his chest against the tree to mark it with secretions from a special gland. The composition of the secret is complex and includes forty different elements, each of which has a specific meaning and serves to convey information. Some males also mark the tree with urine.

Koalas are born within a month after conception.

For some reason, many people believe that koalas are a type of bear. In fact, they are marsupials. Like kangaroos, they quickly give birth to babies, which continue their development in the mother's pouch. The cub is born blind and hairless. The mother's bursa protects the baby as it develops for the next six to seven months. The pouch also contains nipples - the cubs feed on milk. Unusually, before the cub leaves the pouch completely, the mother weans it off the dairy diet by feeding it a fermented plant mixture.

Koalas were discovered in 1798

Animals have lived in Australia for thousands of years. Aboriginal culture has preserved many myths and legends about these creatures. Due to their slowness and habit of staying in one tree all day, constantly sleeping, koalas were an easy source of food. But the tribes did not exterminate koalas - there were many of them throughout the continent. Europeans first described animals in 1798. Initially, it was believed that koalas were bears, but then scientists determined that they were marsupials.

Animals similar to koalas existed twenty-five million years ago

Koalas as we know them are herbivores that have adapted to a low-nutrient diet. Koalas get water from the leaves they eat and do not lead very active lives. Scientists have discovered that their ancestors may have looked slightly different. Twenty-five million years ago, the climate of Australia was not so dry and the way of life of animals was different. As the climate changed, so did the eucalyptus trees, and so did the koalas.

Koalas became extinct in southern Australia in 1924

Europeans were not as kind to animals as the Aborigines. Koalas were considered a source of fur, and millions of animals were destroyed by the thirties. They are incredibly easy to hunt, which increased the losses. In 1919, a million koalas were killed during the six-month hunting season! The number shocked people, and the animals were given protected status. But no one protects the eucalyptus trees! Therefore, the main threat to koalas is now the disappearance of their habitat, which is due to environmental problems.

Koalas have two thumbs

Koalas are adapted to live in trees. They have two opposite toes on their paws that help them hold on, and the other three are located in the center. Of course, these fingers literally cannot be called big, but in essence they are very similar to them. Each of the five toes has claws, making the paw look a bit like a human hand. Koalas have a muscular body with longer forelimbs that help them climb. The muscles in the lower body are different in structure from the muscles of other animals. They are located proportionally lower on the body and are designed to allow koalas to better fix their position on the trunk when climbing a tree. Thanks to this, animals do not fall from heights even when sleeping.

The koala is a marsupial mammal of the infraclass Marsupial family, as well as the genus Koala. Experts still do not understand what kind of animal the koala is: a bear, a raccoon, or someone else. The koala, or in other words the bear from Australia, is a one-of-a-kind animal whose diet consists of only vegetation, namely eucalyptus leaves.

Appearance and description of the koala

Few people can boast of having observed a marsupial bear in person, but many have followed it via video or photographs. After all, the koala really resembles in its appearance a small and clumsy bear cub. For example, its tail is presented in the same form as that of a bear - just as small, it is almost invisible on the body of the animal. Despite this, the koala simply cannot be confused with any other species of animal. The appearance of this animal is quite unusual and memorable..

The koala is a small animal. The weight of this animal can vary from seven to twelve kilograms. Thus, the animal’s fur looks thick and short, and the color is grayish. In the abdominal area the animal has light-colored hair. The animal's eyes are quite small compared to the shape of the head itself, and the ears and nose are large. The claws on the animal's paws are long and sharp. The koala's claws are mainly used to easily climb trees and cling to trunks and branches.

Where does the koala live?

The koala is almost motionless for 18–20 hours. During this period of time, the animal usually firmly grabs tree branches with its paws, dozes or crawls along tree trunks to find a new portion of fresh foliage. The animal is also capable of chewing leaves, which it places in the inner cheek area during feeding.

The animal jumps from tree to tree with one goal: to find new food or to hide from its pursuers. Another unusual skill of the marsupial bear is its ability to swim well in water. The slowness of koalas is based on their diet, as it includes too little protein. In addition to all this, koalas have a low metabolic rate; it is several times slower than that of other mammals.

It happens that in order to replenish the supply of useful microelements in the body, koalas have to eat earth.

Raising a marsupial bear at home is almost impossible, since there will simply be nothing to feed it. In the southern part of the country, for example, in Sochi, there are eucalyptus trees, but such varieties that koalas could eat are not found there.

How do individuals reproduce?

The main features of a koala

What special features does this marsupial bear have? In fact, the koala has many distinctive features and also has skills that other animals do not have.

Koala is endemic to Australia. In more detail, the marsupial bear is a living creature that does not live anywhere else except in Australia, only in the zoo. In addition, due to its lifestyle and ability to climb trees and eat only eucalyptus, the animal is quite calm and slow.

Another unusual feature of koalas is that they give birth to very small babies, although they themselves are large in size and weight. Isn't it unusual that parents who weigh 8 kilograms can produce a baby the size of a small pea grain!

The main opponents of the marsupial bear cub

The koala is an unusual species of animal; in the wild, the bear has no special enemies. Why is this happening? There are several explanations for this.

The main reason is the animal’s place of residence. Marsupial bears live in Australia mainly in tall trees, but on this continent there are no arboreal types of predators that could start hunting the animal. The second reason is the nutrition of the marsupial bear. So, animals eat only eucalyptus leaves, which contain poison. This poison is absolutely harmless to the koala itself, but can harm the health and even life of those animals that want to eat the marsupial bear.

Main benefits and harms

The koala is considered a friendly and cute animal that can easily either benefit humans or significantly harm them.

The main advantage of the koala is that on the territory of the zoo it is loved by a large number of small children, as well as adults. At the same time, many scientists perform a large number of experiments on this animal. That is why cute animals are protected by law from hunting by poachers and illegal shooting for the sake of obtaining valuable fur.

Unfortunately, these creatures can also cause harm to humans. At a time when there are too many koalas in one area of ​​residence, and food begins to run out over time, these animals move to places where people live and live. As a result a small animal can even cause an accident. Despite all this, the koala remains an unusual and interesting animal that experts have not yet fully studied.

Origin of the species and description

The official history of the koala begins in 1802, when naval officer Barralier discovered the remains of this animal and sent them in alcohol to the governor of New South Wales. A year later, a live koala was caught near Sydney. A few months later, an article was published in a Sydney newspaper giving a detailed description of this unusual animal.

For approximately 50 years, koalas were only seen in the New South Wales area. In 1855, the animal was discovered by naturalist William Blandowski in the state of Victoria, where he lived, and much later in 1923, the koala was found in south-east Queensland.

Video: Koala

Europeans who arrived in Australia called the koala a bear. According to some sources, the very meaning of the name “koala” is interpreted as “does not drink,” although many consider this assumption to be erroneous. In general, the koala drinks very little and extremely rarely; people have noticed that he does not drink right away. This rarity of drinking is due to the fact that the animal gets enough moisture from eucalyptus leaves and dew on them.

Indeed, the koala is very similar to, only it is larger in size and its fur is much thicker. The animal’s very pretty, slightly funny face makes you smile when you look at it. I want to pet and hug this big-eared, clumsy, good-natured fellow who resembles a teddy bear.

Appearance and features

Koalas look quite unusual and a little comical. Maybe this is because of their flattened nose, which has no fur. The animal's head is large, round with small, widely spaced eyes and impressive, splayed, fluffy ears. The body of koalas is quite powerful and stocky.

It is interesting that the specimens living in the north of the country are much smaller than those in the south. Their weight reaches 5 kg; in the south, koalas weigh three times as much - 14 - 15 kg. Males are larger in size than females, their heads are larger, but the size of their ears is smaller. Male representatives have a special gland on their chest with which they place marks. The female, like any representative of the fair sex, has a pouch in which two nipples are hidden.

Special attention should be paid to the koala's teeth; they are designed to deftly cope with eucalyptus leaves, which are very dense and fibrous. Using sharp incisors, the koala cuts off foliage like a knife, and its grinding teeth grind it into mush. The total number of teeth in a koala is 30.

The koala's limbs are quite long and strong. The front feet have long, hook-shaped claws for secure grip on trees, with two toes on one side opposed to three on the other. This feature allows animals to tightly grasp trees. On the hind legs, one big toe, which is devoid of claws, opposes the other four, equipped with prehensile claws. Thanks to this structure of the limbs, the animal easily grasps branches and trunks, hangs on them and easily moves in the crown. An original feature is the finger pads of koalas, which have a unique pattern (print), like those of humans or primates.

The koala's fur coat is pleasant to the touch, the fur is quite thick, its length is about 3 cm. The color scheme of the fur is gray (it can be lighter or darker). On the inside, the front legs are painted white, there is a white bib in front, and the chin is also white. The ears have a fringe of white, fluffy, rather long fur. There are also white spots on the sacrum. The koala's tail is similar to a bear's, it is very small and practically does not stand out, it is difficult to see.

Scientists have found that the size of the brain of koalas is very small compared to the body. They believe that animals have this feature due to the fact that their menu is very low in calories.

Where does the koala live?

The koala is endemic to Australia and has its permanent residence exclusively on this continent; this animal is not found anywhere else. The animal has settled in the coastal zones of the south and east of Australia. In the last century, koalas were brought to the western part of the Australian continent and to the islands of Kunguru and Magnitny, located near Queensland. Magnetic Island is now considered the northernmost limit of koala habitat. A huge number of these marsupials were destroyed in southern Australia all in the same last century. People began to restore the number of koalas by bringing them from Victoria.

Currently, the koala habitat covers an area of ​​about a million square kilometers. Koalas live in dense eucalyptus forests. They prefer both mountain forests with a humid climate and semi-desert areas with small copses. The population density of animals depends on the availability of food supply on its territory. If in the southern part, where rainforests abound, it can reach eight individuals per hectare, then in the western semi-desert territory you can find one animal per hundred hectares.

What does a koala eat?

Many people probably know that koalas follow a eucalyptus mono-diet, consuming both young shoots and foliage of eucalyptus trees. This unusual food addiction also has its advantages - the lack of competition for food. It is known that only marsupial flying squirrels and ring-tailed cuscus like to eat eucalyptus. The koala has long gotten used to the fact that he always has the same dish for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Eucalyptus foliage and their shoots are very coarse and fibrous, not everyone will like their specific taste and smell, in addition, the plant contains a high concentration of phenolic substances, there is practically no protein, and a real poison - hydrocyanic acid - also accumulates in the autumn shoots. Koalas have also adapted to this danger; using their sense of smell, they choose for food those plants where there is not much poison. Such low-poisonous trees prefer to grow on fertile soils near rivers.

The reason for such a meager and low-calorie diet is low metabolism, slow reactions and the phlegmatic nature of the animal. Here the koala resembles a sloth or a wombat. Over the course of a day, the animal eats from half a kilogram to one kilogram of shoots and foliage, chewing everything slowly and thoroughly into a puree, and then hiding it in its cheek pouches. The koala's digestive system is perfectly adapted to fibrous plant foods. The cecum of animals is quite long, reaching up to 2.4 m. The koala's liver works intensively to reduce the toxicity of eucalyptus and prevent poisoning.

Sometimes you can see how koalas eat the ground, this does not happen at all because the animals are going crazy, in this way they restore the lack of minerals in the body.

Koalas actually drink very little. This usually occurs when the animal becomes ill or during a prolonged drought. In ordinary times, the animal only needs the dew that appears on the foliage and the richness of the leaves themselves. An interesting fact is that out of 600 varieties of eucalyptus trees, the koala prefers to choose only 30 of them for food. In addition, preferences also differ in different parts of the continent.

Features of character and lifestyle

The measured and monotonous lifestyle of koalas is directly related to the evergreen eucalyptus trees on which they spend most of their time. Rare dashes on the ground serve only to move from one tree to another. During the daytime, koalas are overcome by a sound and restless sleep, which lasts from 18 to 20 hours.

Then (usually at night) dormice spend a couple of hours feeding. Koalas have an unusual and strange ability to freeze, like idols, and sit for many hours completely motionless. Apparently, at these moments they philosophize and reflect on their leisurely life, saturated with the eucalyptus smell.

The koala climbs trees quite deftly, clinging to trunks and branches with its clawed paws. Although the animals are slow and inhibited, when they sense a threat, they can quickly run away and then hide in the green crown. This animal can even cope with the water element if necessary. In addition, when frightened, the koala screams heart-rendingly in a low voice, although under normal conditions he is silent and modest.

Koalas live alone, each having their own territory. They do not favor randomly wandering competitors; males usually start a fight when they meet, especially during the mating season. Koalas have a sedentary lifestyle; they prefer not to leave their territories. In the wild, koalas live for about 12 years; in captivity they can live up to 20, although this is very rare.

Still, speaking about the character and disposition of these unusual creatures, it is worth noting that they are not as temperamental as many other animals, but very friendly, kind and trusting. It is easy to tame and become a true friend for a koala; the animal very quickly becomes attached to people and gives them its love and tenderness. Looking at the slowness and lethargy of koalas, you experience peace, and all worries and vanity fade into the background.

To summarize, here we can highlight the following features of the character and disposition of koalas:

• slowness;
• detachment;
• gullibility;
• good nature.

Social structure and reproduction

Both females and males become sexually mature by the age of two. Females begin to reproduce at the same age, and males only a couple of years later, when they become more mature and stronger for skirmishes with other males in a dispute for a female. There are many more females born in the population, so each male has not one, but several brides at once. Koalas are not particularly fertile, so they produce offspring once every two years.

During the mating season, cavaliers emit heart-rending screams that attract females. They also rub their chests against tree trunks, placing their marks. During this period, grooms can travel considerable distances in search of partners, who can number from two to five. Females love larger and louder gentlemen, and their choice is based on these qualities. Like other marsupials, the koala's genitals have interesting features: the male has a bifurcated reproductive organ, and the female has two vaginas. The mating season lasts from September or October to February.

Koala pregnancy lasts from 30 to 35 days. It very rarely happens that two babies are born at once; usually a single baby is born. It is completely naked, its skin is pinkish in color, the cub is very tiny - up to 1.8 cm long and weighs only 5 grams.

For the first six months of his life, the baby does not leave his mother’s bag, where he drinks milk with pleasure. For the next six months of its life, the slightly grown baby rides on its mother, holding onto her fur in the back or belly with his tenacious paws. By the age of thirty weeks, the baby switches from a milk diet to feeding on maternal excrement, consisting of half-digested eucalyptus leaves. He eats like this for a whole month.

Koalas become independent already at one year of age. Females usually leave their mother at this time, starting their adult life. And males live with their mother until they are two or three years old, only then they decide to leave her, acquiring their own territories for life.

Natural enemies of koalas

In the wild, the koala has virtually no enemies. Predators are not at all interested in these animals, because their meat is thoroughly saturated with eucalyptus, so it is impossible to eat it. A wild dingo or an ordinary stray dog ​​can attack a koala, but they only get into fights and get into fights; they do not need the koala as a source of food.

Unfortunately, koalas are susceptible to a number of diseases that pose a significant threat to them, these are:

• conjunctivitis;
• sinusitis;
• cystitis;
• periostitis of the skull.

Inflammation of the nasal sinuses in animals often develops into pneumonia, which can lead to death. There is evidence that outbreaks of these diseases in the 19th and 20th centuries significantly reduced the koala population on the Australian continent. The greatest threat to koalas is posed by humans by cutting down eucalyptus forests, destroying the animals because of their soft fur coat. Also, recently the number of highways has increased, on which slow-moving animals are increasingly dying under the wheels of cars.

Population and species status

Outbreaks of the previously mentioned diseases were one of the main reasons for the decline in koala numbers, but this was until Europeans appeared on the continent. They liked the silky and pleasant fur of animals, because of which people began to mercilessly destroy them. It was not difficult to kill a trusting and harmless koala. There is information that in 1924 alone, about two million skins were harvested.

Realizing the scale of the disaster, the Australian government first introduced restrictions on shooting, and later in 1927 completely eliminated hunting for these cute animals. Only twenty years later, the koala population began to gradually increase. It’s great that now the number of koalas has returned to normal, but in some areas (Kangaroo Island) there are too many of them, they completely gnaw all the eucalyptus trees. There it was proposed to carry out a small shooting in order to slightly reduce the number, but the authorities did not dare to do this. In the state of Victoria, on the contrary, in 2015, about 700 individuals were destroyed so that the rest would have enough food.

Currently, the status of the koala population is “low risk”, but the threat of deforestation and epidemics is still relevant. There is an international organization, the Australian Koala Foundation, which cares about the preservation of the koala population and the places where they live. In cities such as Brisbane and Perth there are entire protected parks where marsupials live safely and happily.

Koala- not only a universal favorite of Australians, but also a symbol of the entire continent. He can be called the personification of calm, composure and serenity. The koala lives in his leisurely eucalyptus world, far from the bustle and confusion. The main thing is that a person can understand his modest nature and not treacherously invade the life of this harmless and kindest creature. We should learn from him good nature and abstraction from worries and problems.