Animal Kingdom : Koala

The koala is a marsupial mammal which means it has a pouch and suckles its young. Koalas have grey fur and have large rounded ears on top of a big head. They are usually only approximately 60-85cm tall with a stout body and short legs used for climbing. Their size, colouring and shape vary depending on geographic range, for example, southern koalas have thicker and darker fur and are generally larger than those in Queensland which have short, paler grey fur. Males weigh between 6-10 kilograms compared to females who are slightly smaller and range between 5-7 kilograms. Males can also be distinguished by a small bare patch in the middle of the chest which is often stained brown, especially during breeding season. Koalas are closely related to the wombat. 

Koalas are considered arboreal (tree dwelling) mammals however they do descend to the ground to move from one tree to the other. Being mostly nocturnal, a koala will spend most of its time sleeping in branches throughout the day and feed mostly at dusk (they sleep for around 18 hours each day). Although koalas are mostly active at night, they will move around during the day. They will move if they are disturbed, if they are too hot, too cold or simply to find a new feed tree. During the day, they tend to move mid-morning (10am-11am) and late afternoon (3pm-4pm). 

 

Koalas are mainly solitary animals except during the mating season. They communicate through a variety of calls consisting of bellows, grunts and low pitched snarls. These calls are often heard during the mating season.