Koalas do love gum leaves - but these contain no drugs. In fact, only a few species of eucalyptus are suitable for food trees and the koalas need a varied diet from their leaves. In Victoria they like the messmate, swamp gum, peppermint, mahogany or manna gum, in New South Wales their favourite brands are the forest red gum, Sydney blue gum and brush box. Eucalyptus leaves have a very high fibre and low protein content. They contain strong -smelling oils, phenolic compounds and sometimes even cyanide precursors which makes them unpleasant or even poisonous for most mammals.
Koalas have a tail.
The koala's tail is so short it's almost invisable. The pouch of the female encloses only two nipples and opens towards the rear. There is only one pair of lower incisors in the lower jaw and only one well-developed pair in the upper jaw. There are no canines. A fully grown koala eats a bit more than one kilogram of leaves a day.