Koala Bear, The Sleepy-Head

☞ Koala is a mammal

☞ They are warm-blooded

☞ Koala lives on the East Coast of Australia

☞ They live and sleep in the eucalyptus trees, it's hot, light, and dry there

☞ Koala is called a koala bear is because they looks like a teddy bear

☞ Extra thick fur, especially on the neck and shoulders, helps protect the koala from even the worst weather (koalas do not build nests)

☞ The koalas have white on the underside and gray on the rest of its body

☞ Pear-shaped body provides stability while they sit on trees 

☞ Opposable thumbs and toes allow for a tight grip when climbing

☞ Rough pads on under surface of hands and feet increase traction while the koala is climbing

☞ The koala might look cuddly but they have very sharp teeth and very sharp claws

☞ The koalas has big ears and big nose

☞ Large nose with sensitive hairs enables the koala to detect differences in smell between eucalyptus leaves, ensuring their diet consists of only the best bunch 

☞ Cheek pouches allow animal to store food not yet chewed while moving to a safer or more protected location 

☞ The koala cools itself by licking it arms and stretching out as it rests in the trees 

☞ The adult koala gets 25 to 30 inches long

☞ The koala weighs 15 to 30 pounds

☞ Koalas breed in the summer

☞ Mother koala has a pouch

☞ Koala babies are known by several names - "pouch young", "back young", "joeys", and "cubs"

☞ One cub is born at a time

☞ Koalas usually only have one cub per year

☞ Older females will usually have one every two years

☞ The koala cub is very small when it's just born

☞ When koalas are born they are only 2 cm long, which is about the same as a jellybean

☞ The koala cub is blind when it's born 

☞ Cubs drink milk from their mother

☞ The koala cub stays in the mother's pouch for 5 months 

☞ Koalas need strong muscles ringing the pouch to keep the young one from falling out

☞ The koala leaves the pouch first at about 5.5 months, permanently at about 8 months

☞ After leaving the pouch, the koalas feed on mixed diet of milk and leaves, grow fast and travel clinging to their mother's back

☞ The young joey then clings to it's mother's back or stomach, sticking it's head into the pouch to feed

☞ They leaves home to take care of itself at about 1 year old 

☞ Koalas live for 20 or more years

☞ Koala's life span is about 12+ years (wild) and 16+ years (captivity)

☞ Koalas have no sweat glands

☞ Koalas can run as fast as a rabbit

☞ Koalas sleep for up to 19 hours

☞ Koalas are clumsy

☞ They are a good swimmer

☞ They live in loose-knit groups if enough suitable trees there are present, but only one animal per tree

☞ Koalas also communicate with each other by making a noise like a snore and then a belch, known as a "bellow"

☞ The koala only eats eucalyptus leaves and it eats so many leaves, it smells like the leaves

☞ The koala hops from tree to tree and climbs the trees to get the leaves

☞ It uses its claws to get the branches and get the leaves

☞ The koala will eat 2.5 pounds of food a day

☞ The nutrition they get from these leaves is poor, it only gives them little energy, so they spend most of their lives sleeping

☞ Koalas don't normally need to drink as they get all the moisture they need from the gum leaves

☞ The koala used to be endangered because people would kill the koala for its fur

☞ The smallest live in North Queensland and weigh only 5.5 kg
 ☞ The largest koalas weigh over 10 kg and are found in Victoria