Koala is a marsupial or not. Koala is a bear, but not a plush

Kingdom: Animals

Type of: chordates

Subtype: Vertebrates

Class: mammals

Subclass: marsupials

Squad: Two-crested marsupials

Family: koalas

Genus: koalas

View: Koala

Where does the koala live?

Koalas are found over many hundreds of thousands of square kilometers in eastern Australia from northern Queensland to southern Victoria. Populations of these marsupials are often separated from each other by wide expanses of cleared forests. Koalas have chosen humid mountain forests in the south, vineyards in the north of Australia, copses and semi-desert landscapes in the west. The density of populations depends on the productivity of the land. In the south, in rainforests, it reaches 8 animals per hectare, and in the semi-desert zone on a plot of 100 hectares, only one individual can live.

Description of the koala

The pioneer of the species was Marine officer Barralier, who in 1802 discovered and sent the preserved remains of a koala to the governor of New South Wales. A live koala was caught near Sydney the following year, and a couple of months later, readers of the Sydney Gazette saw its detailed description. Since 1808, the koala has been considered a close relative of the wombat, being part of the same squad of two-bladed marsupials with it, but being the only representative of the koala family.

The comical combination of a flattened leathery nose, small blind eyes and expressive, widely spaced ears with hair sticking out at the edges adds charm to the appearance.

Outwardly, the koala slightly resembles a wombat, but, unlike the latter, it is endowed with more pleasant, thick and soft fur up to 3 cm high and elongated limbs. Northern animals are smaller in size (females sometimes do not even reach 5 kg), southern animals are almost three times larger (males weigh almost 14 kg).

Few people know that koalas are rare mammals (along with primates), whose fingertips are drawn with unique papillary patterns, just like in humans.

The teeth of the koala are adapted to eating plants and are similar in structure to the teeth of other two-incisor marsupials (including kangaroos and wombats). Sharp incisors, with which the animal cuts leaves, and grinding teeth are separated from each other by a diastema.

Since the koala feeds on trees, nature has given him long, tenacious claws on his front paws. Each hand is equipped with two (set aside) two-phalangeal thumbs, opposing three standard fingers (with three phalanges).

The hind legs are arranged differently: on the foot there is a single thumb(devoid of a claw) and four others armed with claws. Thanks to the grasping paws, the animal clings tightly to the branches, locking the brushes into the castle: in this position, the koala clings to the mother (until it becomes independent), and having matured, has lunch, hangs on one paw and sleeps.

The thick coat is colored in smoky gray shades, but the belly always looks lighter. The tail resembles a bear's: it is so short that it is almost invisible to outsiders.

Koala lifestyle

The first settlers on the mainland gave this animal various names, such as "sloth", "monkey" and "bear". For a long time there was a myth that koalas are relatives of bears. However, it is not. These animals are the only representatives of their family.

Koalas live in eucalyptus forests and their favorite treat is the leaves of these evergreen trees. Although there are more than 700 species of eucalyptus trees in Australia, koalas eat the leaves of only 50 species, since the leaves of individual eucalyptus trees are extremely toxic.

From the leaves of the koala get the necessary amount of water for life, and the water in pure form these animals consume in small quantities or do not consume at all. Currently, during natural disasters, when Australia is blazing Forest fires, koalas sometimes come to people for water. These animals can also swim well, and willingly demonstrate their swimming skills in hot weather. climatic conditions when they want to freshen up.

For most of their lives, koalas are in trees, where they feed, sleep, and breed. On the given time scientists do not have accurate information about the life expectancy of these animals in nature, however, if we judge the koalas of various zoos, then, on average, koalas live from 13 to 15 years.

Koalas are very slow animals. They may not move for most of the day. Perhaps this is due to the fact that eucalyptus leaves, which make up the diet of koalas, are very low in calories. These animals descend from the trees extremely rarely if they want to change the tree. However, despite their sluggishness and clumsy appearance, koalas can quickly jump from one tree to another.

During their short journeys across the land, koalas become the target of predators such as foxes, dogs and dingoes. The danger can also come from a person - koalas run the risk of falling under the wheels of cars. During the daytime, these animals prefer to rest in the trees, and they try to take small walks at night, which is a safer option for them. During the day, koalas eat about a kilogram eucalyptus leaves.

What do koalas eat?

Koalas eat only the bark and leaves of eucalyptus. There are over 800 species of these trees in the world, but these animals only eat the bark and leaves of 120 of them. Interestingly, for most animals, these trees are poisonous. Due to its unique digestive system colas eat them without tragic consequences. But furry animals try to choose eucalyptus trees growing on fertile soils along the banks of rivers. The leaves and branches of such trees contain less poison. In eucalyptus trees growing on poor, dry soils, there are more toxic substances.

The daily ration of this animal is 500–1100 g of food. At the same time, they mainly feed on softer and juicier young leaves. Koalas almost do not drink water, as eucalyptus leaves contain more than 90% of the liquid they need. Animals drink water only when they lack moisture in the leaves or they are sick.

Koala is almost immobile 18-20 hours a day. At this time, she grabs branches with her paws, sleeps or moves along the trunk in search of food, or chews leaves, which she folds during feeding. inner part cheeks
She jumps from tree to tree mainly to find food or escape from danger. Another one unique ability this animal, that he can swim. Koalas are rather slow, this is due to the peculiarities of their diet, since the leaves contain little protein. In addition, koalas have a low metabolism, it is 2 times slower than that of other mammals.

reproduction

The breeding season for koalas is from October to February. At this time, they gather in groups that consist of several females and one adult male. The rest of the time, each female lives on its own territory, leads a solitary lifestyle.

Koalas are pretty quiet animals. Loud screams can only be heard during mating season. Eyewitnesses say that these sounds are similar to the grumbling of a pig, the creaking of door hinges, and even the snoring of a drunk person. However, females really like these sounds, and they respond favorably to the calling sound of males.

Another unique distinguishing feature these marsupial cubs from other animals lies in the reproductive organs. The male has a bifurcated penis, while the female has two vaginas. Thus, nature has taken care that this species does not become extinct.

Pregnancy in koalas lasts 30–35 days. Most often, only one cub is born, which weighs 5.5 grams and has a height of 15-18 millimeters. Although there are cases of the birth of two. The baby is in the mother's bag for six months, this time he eats her milk. Over the next six months, he gets out of the bag, tenaciously clings to his mother's fur on her stomach and back, thereby "traveling" through her body.

For the next 30 weeks, he eats semi-liquid maternal excrement, consisting of a slurry of half-digested eucalyptus leaves. Here are the microorganisms valuable for the baby and necessary for his digestive process. After a month, the cubs become independent, but even before the age of 2–3 years they are with their mother.

Males enter sexual maturity at 3–4 years, and females at 2–3. They reproduce once every 1 or 2 years. Life expectancy is 11-12 years, although there may be exceptions, there are cases when koalas lived for 20 years.

In the wild, the marsupial has no enemies, most likely because its meat smells like eucalyptus. Animals are tamed pretty quickly, they are condescending to the person who picks up. But at the same time, one should not forget about the sharp claws of the animal, so you need to stroke it carefully.

Koala is like a child, when the beast is left alone, he can cry and yearn. In the wild, drought, fires, poachers destroy these touching animals. Cutting down eucalyptus trees also contributes to their extermination.

Natural enemies and other dangers

In nature, koalas have almost no enemies.. The latter can be conditionally attributed to wild dingo dogs and feral domestic dogs. But these predators only attack slow-moving marsupials, refusing their meat because of the bright eucalyptus aroma.

Diseases such as cystitis, conjunctivitis, periostitis of the skull and sinusitis cause more damage to livestock. In koalas, inflammation of the mucous membrane of the paranasal sinuses (sinusitis) often ends with pneumonia, especially in cold winters. It is known, for example, that epizootics of complicated sinusitis that occurred in 1887-1889 and 1900-1903 led to a noticeable decrease in the number of these marsupials.

Diseases

Koalas are rather sickly animals - apparently, the monotonous diet affects. They are especially susceptible to cystitis, periostitis of the skull, conjunctivitis. Sinusitis often causes pneumonia in them, which at the beginning of the last century greatly reduced the population. They kill animals, and the viral bacteria Chlamydia Psittaci, which are secretly considered the "AIDS" of koalas. They affect the ureter and eyes of animals, and if they are not helped in time, the disease will first lead to infertility, then to vision problems, and eventually to death.

Fur traders

Even before the beginning of the 20th century, a huge number of koalas (more than one million) were destroyed by fur traders, after which there were almost no animals left. And only then (in 1927) the Australian government banned the trade in koala fur, and three years later - to import their skins. This led to the end of the barbaric extermination of koalas, and their population began to gradually increase.

Deforestation

Due to continuous deforestation, koalas are forced to constantly go in search of new trees, so they have to go down. And they are not used to life on earth, because they move here with difficulty, so they become easy prey.

Cars

In connection with deforestation, koalas in search of a new home are increasingly on the tracks. Cars rushing at great speed frighten them extremely, the animals become numb (the so-called "koala syndrome" - males are especially susceptible to it) and stop moving or begin to rush along the road. According to statistics, about 200 koalas are under the wheels of cars every month - and, unfortunately, many of them die in the process. At the same time, the authorities are trying to solve this problem rather interesting way: artificial lianas are stretched over the track, which connect eucalyptus trees on both sides of the track. The koalas have appreciated this idea and willingly cross the freeway.

Dogs

Once on the ground and seeing a wild dingo dog, the koala does not understand all the danger, and does not run away to the tree. As a result, it often turns out to be torn apart. Fires The trees that koalas love to live on contain eucalyptus oil, thanks to which fires flare up extremely strongly and cannot be extinguished for a long time. The fire has completely destroyed more than one population of koalas.

Pools

Many will be surprised to learn how many koalas die when they get into the pool. Contrary to the popular belief that they drink absolutely nothing, they still come to the watering hole, but often not to the source, but to a structure created by human hands, which does not have the usual slopes for animals. Despite the fact that they are excellent swimmers, koalas often drown when exhausted.

Drought

Due to drought, eucalyptus leaves turn black and dry, so koalas deprived of water often die of thirst, especially those who live far from artificial or natural sources water.

Population and species status

Epizootics were indeed considered main reason the extinction of koalas, but only before the arrival of European settlers who began to shoot the animals because of the thick beautiful fur. Koalas trusted people and therefore easily became their prey - in one year, 1924, hunters in the eastern states prepared 2 million cute skins.

A significant decrease in the population prompted the Australian government to take decisive action: hunting for koalas was initially limited, and since 1927 it has been completely prohibited. Almost 20 years have passed, and only by 1954 the number of marsupials began to slowly recover.

Now in some regions there is an overabundance of koalas - on about. They have bred so many kangaroos that they completely eat the island eucalyptus trees, depleting their own food supply. But the proposal to shoot 2/3 of the herd was rejected by the authorities of South Australia, since this would have affected the reputation of the state.

The government of Victoria was not afraid to harm the image of the country and ordered to thin out the population, whose density was 20 heads per hectare. In 2015, almost 700 koalas were exterminated in the state, protecting the rest from starvation.

Today, the species has a "lower risk" status, but koalas are still threatened by deforestation, fires and ticks.. The conservation of the population and habitat of marsupials is closely involved international organization Australian Koala Foundation, as well as single species parks Lone Pine Koala (Brisbane) and Kounu Koala Park (Perth).

Many scientists have tried to attribute the koala to the bear family. In fact, the closest animal relative of the koala is the wombat, another unusual Australian animal.
About 25 million years ago, the ancestor of the koala Koalemus lived on Earth - an animal resembling a koala in appearance, but exceeding it in size by 25-30 times.
Koalas practically do not drink water. The fact is that all the moisture necessary for their life is contained in eucalyptus, which is the main food of the koala. If heat and drought sets in, then the koala needs additional water.
An adult koala weighs about 10 kilograms, and its height ranges from 60-80 centimeters. At the same time, the southern koala is always larger than its northern brother, and males weigh 1.5 times more than females.
The koala can stay under the sun for a long time, because the hair on its body is able to protect from ultraviolet radiation. Also, the koala is not afraid of rain - the thick fur of the animal does not allow moisture to pass through.
The average life expectancy of a koala in a zoo is about 13-18 years. How long a koala lives in the wild is still unknown to scientists.
Koala fingerprints are very similar to human fingerprints. Koalas are one of the rare animals that have a papillary pattern on their fingers.
Koalas are distinguished by poor eyesight, while having an excellent sense of smell and developed hearing.
The metabolic rate in koala organisms is approximately 2 times lower than in other animals. In terms of speed, koalas can catch up with sloths. At the same time, if danger occurs, then both the first and second can act quickly and efficiently.

The koala resembles a cute teddy bear, but this animal has nothing to do with bears. It seems friendly in appearance, but if attacked, it will be able to defend itself with sharp claws.

Koalas live in the eucalyptus forests of Australia on the east coast, no higher than 600 meters above sea level. it marsupial mammal eats almost nothing but a few kinds of eucalyptus leaves. Body length in males 86 cm, weight 12 kg. The females have a weight of 8 kg and a length of 76 cm. The color, as you can see in the photo of the koala, is from gray to reddish, with a white spot on the chest, armpits and chin.

The koala is not too active; its food is low-calorie and low-quality. He spends his whole life in trees, sleeping, about 18 hours a day, and eating the rest of the time. He grinds young leaves into a mushy mass with powerful teeth. An adult animal eats up to 800 g of leaves per day. The liver of the koala is special, it is able to neutralize the poison contained in some leaves.

October to February at night different corners strange sounds are heard in the forest. This is the start of the breeding season and these sounds are the cries of males. Each male mates with several koalas, he is constantly on the move, visiting his females and driving rivals from his territory.

In the middle of summer, the koala gives birth to one baby, and like all marsupials, he climbs into her bag and stays in it for about six months. The cub feeds on the partially digested food of the mother, which has already passed through the body. Such food is easier to digest and also performs an important function: it transfers beneficial microbes from the mother’s intestines. These bacteria are useful, they multiply in the body and help the little koala digest the tough eucalyptus leaves. After leaving the bag, the cub rides on the mother's back for several months.

The life expectancy of a koala is 13 years, in captivity 18.

Few people can remain indifferent when contemplating a charming animal that looks like a small bear cub. Although the Australian resident has nothing to do with them. Like many other inhabitants of Australia, the koala is a marsupial mammal. It was first described in 1798 when it was found in the Blue Mountains (Australia). Since then, the animal with a wide muzzle and small eyes, a curved nose, soft and silvery fur, and shaggy ears has been loved by many.

Koalas are descended from their closest relatives, the wombats. They are similar to them, but differ in softer and thicker fur, their ears are slightly larger, and their limbs are longer.

The sharp claws of the beast help it easily move along tree trunks, the shape and size of the limbs also contribute to this. On the hands of the front paws there are two thumbs, which are set aside, next to them are three more fingers. This design of the palms helps the animal to easily grasp branches, tree trunks and hold on to them tenaciously, and for young animals to hold on to their mother's fur. The koala, clasping a branch, sleeps on a tree, while it can even be held with one paw.

Interestingly, the papillary pattern found on the fingertips of koalas is very similar to human fingerprints, even an electron microscope can hardly detect the differences.

The size of koalas is very diverse. For example, a female living in the north can weigh 5 kilograms, and a male living in the south can weigh 14 kilograms.

In the photo, a koala eats eucalyptus leaves

Koalas eat only the bark and leaves of eucalyptus. There are over 800 species of these trees in the world, but these animals only eat the bark and leaves of 120 of them. Interestingly, for most animals, these trees are poisonous. Due to their unique digestive system, colas are eaten without tragic consequences. But furry animals try to choose eucalyptus trees growing on fertile soils along the banks of rivers. The leaves and branches of such trees contain less poison. In eucalyptus trees growing on poor, dry soils, there are more toxic substances.

Koala is almost immobile 18-20 hours a day. At this time, she grabs branches with her paws, sleeps or moves along the trunk in search of food, or chews on leaves, which she folds into the inside of her cheeks during feeding.

She jumps from tree to tree mainly to find food or escape from danger. Another unique ability of this animal is that it can swim. Koalas are rather slow, this is due to the peculiarities of their diet, since the leaves contain little protein. In addition, koalas have a low metabolism, it is 2 times slower than that of other mammals.

Sometimes, to fill the need for trace elements, koalas eat the earth.

Reproduction of koalas, the birth of cubs

Koalas are pretty quiet animals. Loud cries can be heard only during the mating season. Eyewitnesses say that these sounds are similar to the grumbling of a pig, the creaking of door hinges, and even the snoring of a drunk person. However, females really like these sounds, and they respond favorably to the calling sound of males.

Another unique distinguishing feature of these marsupial cubs from other animals lies in the reproductive organs. The male has a bifurcated penis, while the female has two vaginas. Thus, nature has taken care that this species does not become extinct.

Many tourists are interested in the question of where the koala lives. An unusual animal spends most of its life on trees, only occasionally descending to the ground.

When climbing trees, the claws of the animal close into a strong lock, which allows it to stay on any trunk. Exactly the same claws are in the cubs, which move, tenaciously grabbing the mother's fur.

Where does the koala live? This funny animal lives in the dense forests of the wild nature of Australia. Although koalas are considered marsupials, they are similar to their closest relatives, wombats. The fur of a koala is softer and thicker than that of a relative. The ears and limbs are also much larger. On the limbs there are claws that allow the animal to easily move through the trees.

What does a koala bear eat

The question “what does a koala eat” is no longer a secret for people. Koala is a herbivore whose main diet is the leaves and young shoots of eucalyptus. They spend their entire lives in the canopy of trees. Here they eat, sleep and breed. Only occasionally you can see an animal that has descended to the ground.

At night, the animal moves in search of fresh leaves and tree run. Then he settles comfortably on a fork in the branches and sits there until the shoots run out. The leaves and shoots of not all eucalyptus trees are suitable for nutrition. The koala eats leaves that contain little protein in their composition, but are also poisonous to other animals. For this reason, koalas have no food competitors. Mostly trees of coastal zones are suitable for food for animals.

The very name "koala" in translation from the language of the natives means "non-drinker". For a long time, scientists, having found out what the koala eats, thought that he did not drink water. But this myth has been refuted by modern experts in science. Occasionally, the animal still drinks water.

It is worth noting that the slow animal shows unusual agility, fleeing from a predator. At the same time, he deftly jumps from tree to tree. One more amazing ability koalas is the ability to swim.

What does a koala and its cub look like?

When asked what a koala looks like, everyone unanimously declares that it looks like a teddy bear. And the very definition of a koala in the category of marsupial bears is not entirely correct.

Outwardly, the koala and its cubs look like teddy bears. Big expressive eyes, huge ears and soft fur - everything resembles a toy. The color of the coat is predominantly gray with a light belly. The only similar feature of the koala and the bear is a very small tail.

What does not only a koala look like, but also its house? The animal is inextricably linked with its habitat. The koala receives all the nutrients necessary for the body from eucalyptus leaves. Occasionally, to replenish trace elements, they eat the earth. The only predators that prey on them are wild dogs and dingoes. But the koala, in case of danger, manages to climb high up a tree. Population reduction can only occur due to the disease of the animal.

How much and where does a koala sleep

Koala is a slow animal. Most of the day he sleeps, comfortably sitting on a bitch. So how long does a koala sleep? According to some reports, the animal can sleep for more than 16 hours. He sleeps mostly during the day. At night, it descends to the ground to find another tree or climb higher. Sometimes you can meet a koala that sleeps hanging on one paw.

The low-calorie food that the animal eats is quite nutritious for its lifestyle. This makes him look like a sloth. Only they can sleep as much as a koala sleeps. The metabolism is very slow, one kilogram of leaves per day is enough for him. An amazing feature of the animal is that they are silent and phlegmatic. In rare cases of injury or loneliness, they may "cry". The sound is similar to the cry of a baby.

Despite the diet, animals are prone to colds, which are the main cause of death. It is difficult to treat them for two reasons:

the animal climbs high into a tree and clings tightly, it cannot be removed from there;
they do not tolerate anesthesia very well.

But volunteers are doing everything possible to keep koalas from disappearing from the face of the earth. After all, these little animals like everyone without exception.

Funny little bear cubs are not actually bears at all. Although they appearance resembles clubfoot.

website - Let's dream together, today we will talk about funny bears from Australia, which are not bears at all.

When the country of Australia is pronounced, kangaroos and koalas come to mind. These animals are different and similar at the same time. They live only in Australia, about the same color, they carry kids on themselves ...

They are the symbol of the country, used in commercials, presented in cartoons and soft toys. By the way, we have a soft koala at home. Sometime 18 years ago, our grandfather brought him from a business trip to Australia.

Even 15 million years ago, their ancient relatives lived on the planet - more than 18 species of marsupial bears. One of them: the Queensland koala was 28 times larger than its modern brother.

They have an outward resemblance to a bear due to the absence of a tail, and their stocky structure, long claws and muzzle are somewhat reminiscent of our favorite fairy tale characters.

Where does the koala live

"Australian bears" live in the eastern part of the continent. That's where they grow eucalyptus trees — favorite treat these mammals. They spend almost their entire lives in their branches. They eat, sleep and contemplate the surroundings.

Long sharp claws help them to move, hold on to the trunk and not fall to the ground in a dream. An adult animal can weigh from 6 to 15 kilograms.

For a stronger grip on their paw, the fingers are strongly separated on the sides: two in one direction and three in the opposite direction.

Fingerprints of shaggy hooligans

Koalas have a pattern of lines and papillars on their fingers. Almost like a human. Such lines exist in the animal kingdom only in monkeys and a limited number of mammals, which include koalas, and of course in humans.

And an interesting feature of these mammals is the size of the brain. Not its very presence or absence, but a gradually decreasing size.

This is probably due to the extremely sedentary image life and strictly vegetable food. The ratio of the mass of the brain to the whole body is only 0.2%!

The rest of the cranium is filled with cerebrospinal fluid, so the head is externally of generally accepted size. This leads to interesting associations with people.

That's why physical exercise apparently useful to everyone: both koalas and people. So that the brain does not shrink.

How a koala screams - a cry like a human child

Although Australian babies are small in size, they can scream so that you can hear them from a kilometer away. And with high volume and very low frequency.

They have a second, additional pair of vocal cords. Which comes to the rescue at the right moment of danger or during the mating season.

And when a koala is very frightened or injured, he can make sounds similar to the crying of a human baby. How the koala screams can be heard in the video at the end of the article.

What does a koala eat

Favorite food and treat is eucalyptus leaves.

Almost all their short lives (up to 18-20 years old) koalas hang on the crowns of these trees:

At night, when it gets cooler, he climbs from branch to branch.
During the day, when it's hot, he sleeps tightly clinging to the eucalyptus with his claws

By the way, these "sloths" sleep almost 18-20 hours a day.

The slowness of koalas can be justified: they eat extremely poisonous eucalyptus leaves. Young shoots are less poisonous, and the leaves of this plant contain a huge amount of phenolic resins and hydrocyanic acid in autumn. They take a long time to digest and do not contain protein, which is so necessary for all animals.

Therefore, they have very few competitors in food, only possums and flying squirrels. So fluffy sloths try to eat more leaves from morning to evening so that no one gets it. And move less. It takes a lot of energy to process leaves.

The main thing is not to fall from a tree in a dream

Why do koalas go without water?

Koalas don't drink. Only during illness or prolonged drought. They get all the necessary liquid from the same eucalyptus leaves or drops of morning dew. Instead of vitamins, these animals from time to time eat the earth they contain! a huge amount of minerals.

Lazy extreme people

Koalas can jump, but do such tricks very reluctantly. Preferring to slowly descend to the ground and climb onto a nearby tree. In moments of danger, they can surprise you with agility and extreme jumps.

A frisky gallop, jumps and even swims in water bodies are also within the power of these phlegmatic mammals. Just like most people, koalas do not like to make unnecessary gestures.

Video about the disassembly of two koalas

How an angry koala screams when its territory is occupied. The strongest will win.

Koalas are lazy from birth

Once every 1-2 years, a koala mother has babies. Usually this is one "bear cub", very rarely there are twins. For six months he is bottle-fed, and for another six months he rides exclusively on his mother's back.

Boy children stay with their mother until almost 3 years old, while daughters swim away to "independent swimming" as early as 1 year old.

These animals are exterminated in huge numbers because of the dense, thick and beautiful fur.

Now the authorities are trying to stop this trend by transferring animals to separate islands nearby (Phillip Island) turned into natural parks. Where koalas can live in a natural and safe environment.

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