We watch koalas, which we can’t see in our country because they are unique to Australia, but which we encounter in any documentary, while they are eating, wrapped in a tree with their long arms. Documentaries deliberately do not catch koalas while they are sleeping or eating, sleeping and eating take up a large part of their lives. Frankly, it can’t be said that they do much other than mating once in a while.
Europeans who came to the continent first encountered the koala after the 18th century. When they sat down and started to watch, we are sure they were as surprised as we were because these creatures were just standing there. Although it is seen as a kind of bear, let’s take a closer look at the questions such as where does the koala eat and where does it live, and let’s try to get to know this creature a little more closely with interesting information about the koala.
Interesting facts about the koala: What does it eat, where does it live?
- The koala is a species native to only one continent.
- They’re actually pretty small creatures.
- Koalas don’t eat that much for pleasure.
- No, they don’t sleep all the time because they’re depressed.
- They mate when they move, albeit a little.
- Male koalas can be scary.
- The reason for the flexible structure of koalas is the cartilage in their spine.
- Koala is a long-lived creature.
- Koalas are in danger of extinction.
The koala is a species native to only one continent:
When European invaders came to the Australian continent in 1798, they encountered a koala for the first time. The koala is a creature that finds its place in cave paintings and aboriginal mythology, because there is no example of this creature outside of the Australian continent. The word koala, which was defined scientifically in the 19th century, means ‘no water’. It is also the only living member of the Phascolarctidae family.
They’re actually pretty small creatures:
You may not be able to grasp their exact size as we see them on the top of a tree most of the time, but koalas are actually pretty small creatures. Their length varies between 60 and 85 cm, and their weight varies between 4 and 15 kilograms. Most of the fur is silver gray, but some members also have a chocolate color. Those in the north of the continent are smaller and lighter in color. Whether these are subspecies or two different members of the same family is not certain.
Koalas do not eat so much for pleasure:
Koalas eat whenever we see them. Eucalyptus leaves are the main food of these herbivores, and they eat only 50 of the 700 known species. A koala needs to eat at least one kilo of eucalyptus leaves a day because even though this leaf is rich in liquid, it is extremely poor in nutritional value and calories. For this reason, koas need to eat whenever they are awake.
No, they do not sleep all the time because they are depressed:
A koala sleeps a minimum of 18 and a maximum of 22 hours a day. The reason why they sleep an average of 20 hours a day is not pleasure. Eucalyptus leaves, which are the main food of the koala, are both difficult to digest and give almost no energy. For this reason, the koala leads a life defined as sedentary with almost no physical activity. You can say let’s go and eat something like a man, but what can we do, evolution.
They mate when they move, albeit a little:
Male koalas, who have reached the mating age, communicate with other females by making a raspberry-like sound without moving, and secrete a scent to show that they are ready to mate. When they find a suitable mate, they mate. Since the koala is a marsupial, it crawls into the pouch when the cubs are born. The baby koala, born hairless and blind, is weaned at the end of one year and separated from its mother.
Male koalas can be scary:
Yes, it may sound funny, but the males of these cute creatures are extremely serious about protecting their territory. It also marks its territory with its scent for mating. The roars and grunts it makes for mating can sometimes be loud enough to be heard from miles away. Those who have heard say that there are few things more terrifying than the sound of a koala in the jungles of Australia. Whatever he does, he is trying to protect himself somehow.
It is necessary to pay attention to these areas that male koalas adopt, because they are extremely protective. The biggest reason for this is that they are generally solitary creatures other than mating. Except for some dominant and large koalas, no koala easily enters the territory of another koala.
The reason for the flexible nature of koalas is the cartilage in their spine:
If you have watched a short section of the life of a koala, you have seen that it reaches out to other branches and plucks leaves without leaving the tree for a moment. The biggest reason for this is the strong cartilages in his curved spine. Thanks to these cartilages that develop instead of bones, the koala is extremely flexible. Thanks to the supporting power of the same cartilage, a koala can spend its life without descending from the top of the tree and nest wherever it wishes.
Koala is a long-lived creature:
The average lifespan of koalas in the wild ranges from 10 to 12 years. Females live longer than males, and some have even been found to live up to 18 years. Because they have no natural predators except dingo, python and a few raptors. Except for some ticks, they do not deal with external parasites and their internal parasites are generally harmless. When they fall from a tree due to a fight or inexperience, they get up and climb again because they are flexible, but there are cases where they fall to death during a fight, which is why males live less.
Koalas are in danger of extinction:
How? It has no predators, no parasites; If you ask why these animals are dying, the answer is people. Because of their beautiful fur, koalas were systematically hunted, especially in the 20th century. As if that is not enough, trees are cut down all the time and koalas cannot find a tree to nest in. As the number of eucalyptus leaves decreased due to the deterioration of the ecosystem, koalas began to be included among the sensitive species on the IUCN Red List by the Natural Resources Conservation Union.
We talked about interesting information about the koala, which is a species unique to the continent of Australia and we know for its constant eating and sleeping. We even managed to destroy the animal that sleeps and eats on the top of the tree by itself.
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