Koala

Phascolarctos cinereus

Easy (Promiscuous)

The **Koala** (*Phascolarctos cinereus*) is a small Australian marsupial featured in the Australia Pack DLC for *Planet Zoo*.

## Zoopedia Description

### General

**Population in the Wild:** 80,000 (before 2019 fire season)

The Queensland koala bear (or Phascolarctos cinereus) is an arboreal marsupial that lives in the eucalyptus forests of Eastern Australia. They have grey to brown fur, stocky limbs with dexterous claws, rounded fluffy ears, and a face with a bulbous black nose. They are a sexually dimorphic species, meaning the males are significantly bigger than the females; Queensland koalas are between 60 to 75cm long, with males weighing between 4.2 and 9.1kg, and females weighing 4.1 to 7.3kg. Both sexes feed almost exclusively on eucalyptus leaves.

The species is vulnerable – threatened by natural hazards such as drought, predation and bushfires – but their situation has been further compounded by human activity. Deforestation of the eucalyptus forest in which they live has caused a reduction in their numbers, and their habitat has also been fragmented by land use changes. They are also often killed on roads. Additionally, disease is a significant problem, with at least 40% to 52% of the population being infected with chlamydia, which causes koalas to go blind and become infertile. As a result, populations are being researched and sick koalas are being treated and rehabilitated where possible, while there are groups dedicated to replanting eucalyptus trees for them to feed on.

### Social

Koalas are solitary animals, but their home ranges often overlap and they will tolerate nearby koalas.

### Reproduction

Male and female koalas both have home ranges; the larger and more dominant of the males tend to have larger home ranges. The ranges of both sexes will overlap, meaning they are likely to interact with one another. Males detect female receptivity by scenting their urine, also marking trees with their chest scent glands and urine, before bellowing when there are receptive females around. Males of all ages will both seek out females, but the younger males are likely to be chased off or prevented from approaching females by older, larger males.

When a male wants to mate with a female, he approaches her aggressively, usually using his superior size and strength to mount her. This often elicits a negative reaction from females; they vocalize loudly and attempt to fight males off, but koalas' sexual dimorphism means females are often outmatched by larger males. They will however be more likely to be able to fight off younger, smaller males. This contributes to why larger males are more likely to successfully mate.

A pregnant mother will give birth to one joey between 33 and 35 days after mating, but it is extremely underdeveloped, born in the embryonic stage. After birth, it climbs from its mother’s reproductive tract up her belly fur to her pouch, where it settles and exclusively feeds from the two teats therein for the next 5 to 6 months. When it leaves at 6 months old, it will be fully weaned by 11-12 months, becoming independent from its mother at around 1 year old, or when the mother’s next joey is born. Young koalas remain in the near vicinity of their mothers until they are about 2 years old, and then will roam farther afield.

## Animal Care

 FEEDING STATIONS
 FOOD ENRICHMENT
Eucalyptus Tree Feeder
Climbing Frame · Herb scent marker · Mirror mobile · Wind Chimes

## Trivia

### Zoopedia Fun Facts

* Whether there are different subspecies of koala is disputed due to genetics. Victoria koalas are much larger and stockier than Queensland koalas, with shaggier, thicker fur, and fluffier ears.
* Koala fur is an extremely good insulator, rivalling Arctic mammal fur. They need this fur to keep them warm because their metabolism is very slow
* Due to the low nutrient content of eucalyptus and how difficult it is to digest, koala joeys will feed from their mothers' faeces before moving on to eating the raw leaves; this is easier to digest and also introduces bacteria that can assist in the breakdown of eucalyptus into the joey’s digestive system
* Koalas rarely drink, getting almost all the water they need from their eucalyptus diet
* Koala fingerprints are almost indistinguishable from human fingerprints