Koala Pictures
Flying Turtle Zoo
Koala
Family Tree
Koalas are marsupials. Their closest living relative is the wombat.
Size and Life Expectancy
Males weigh up to 30 lbs (14 kg) and females weigh up to 25 lbs (11 kg). Koalas can be up to three feet long (85 cm). They live ten to fifteen years.
Range and Habitat
Koalas live in Australia. They live in woodlands
Diet
Eucalyptus leaves. Eucalyptus leaves are poisonous to most animals but the poison is broken down down by the bacteria in the koala's stomach. Different trees' leaves have different amounts of poison and the koala usese its highly developed nose to tell whether or not the leaf is acceptable. There are six hundred types of eucalyptus tree but koalas will only eat about fifty to sixty types and only about ten types are their favorite.
Predators
Dingoes, owls
Extra Fun Facts
Koalas are mostly active at night. They have a very slow metabolic rate in order to get the most out of the eucalyptus leaves because these leaves don’t have much nutritional value. Because of this slow metabolism they need to conserve energy and will sleep eighteen hours a day. Koalas are slow moving and live in trees so that predators can’t get them. The word “koala” is aboriginal for “no drink.” They usually don’t need to drink because they get all the liquid they need from the leaves they eat.