Koala: Facts, Baby, Eat, Live, Endangered, Dangerous, Preditors Koala The Koala is small, fuzzy, and cute. It has gray to brown colored fur with a white underbelly. It lazily makes it way through the tree branches to eat, sleep, and nurse its young. Spending most of its lifecycle in the trees, it only descends to the ground if necessary. Koalas are adored by many for their small size and cartoon-like features. The Koala is a marsupial. BABY KOALAS Mothers give birth and raise only one baby koala at time. During the mothers lifecycle she will produce up to six cubs. A newborn kaola baby is called a “joey” and does not resemble an adult since it is born blind with undeveloped features. A joey measures under one inch in length. Upon birth the joey makes its way to the mother’s pouch and attaches itself inside. It then develops its eyes, legs, and fur. In fact it lives in the mother’s pouch for about six months. When it emerges from the pouch it takes on the familiar cute and cuddly appearance of an adult.

Eventually the baby koala transfers itself to the mother’s back to hitch a free ride. It continues to nurse off the mother’s milk for up to a year and eats eucalyptus leaves. Some baby koalas want to use the safety of the pouch longer than necessary but their size prohibits them from climbing back inside. When the next joey is born it is time for last season’s baby to say goodbye. WHAT DO KOALAS EAT? Eucalyptus leaves is the only food koalas eat. Although the leaves are poisonous to most animals, they have special bacteria that live in their stomachs to break down and digest them. Their diet includes up to one pound of leaves a day. The koala has special teeth adapted for their eucalyptus diet. The majority of their front and back teeth act like scissors to chop the leaves into pieces suitable for digestion. Eucalyptus leaves have a fair amount of moisture hence koalas seldom drink water. Plant specie information about eucalyptus trees indicate there are many different varieties in the wild. In fact each koala is particular about what kind they will eat. Baby koalas acquire their taste for specific varieties by adulthood.

One of the main reasons koalas are endangered in some areas is the destruction of native eucalyptus forest habitats. Eucalyptus leaves are high in fiber and low in nutrients. In addition to eating large amounts, koalas are able to survive on their diet since they have a slow metabolic system to conserve nutrients and energy. Since they have no natural predators in Australia, this adaptation is not to their disadvantage. KOALA FACTS Size: Up to 3 feet in length. Weight: 20 to 30 pounds. Lifespan: Koala information gathered from both wild and captive habitats suggest koalas live to be around 15 to 20 years. Definition: The koala is a nocturnal marsupial and is a herbivore. Fun fact: The word “marsupial” is from the Latin word “marsupium”, which translates to “pouch”. Body structure: Its head has a long black nose, small round eyes, and big ears. It has strong limbs and the claws of its paws are designed to grasp and climb branches easily. The koala body structure is small and not “top heavy”, enabling it to maneuver and balance on tree branches.

Sleeping time: Up to 20 hours a day! Communication: Scratch and scent markings. Vocalization sounds: screeches, bellows, murmurs. Diet: Koalas eat only eucalyptus leaves. Habitat: Majority populations are in the south eastern regions of Australia. Baby Koalas: Weight: under 0.04 ounces. Size: under 1 inch in length. Mating Season: Breeding is from October through March. Gestation period: 30 to 35 days. Age of Maturity: 2 to 3 years. Endangered status: Status dependent on country (see Endangered section) Predators: No natural predators. Enemies: Man. Subspecies Information: Northern (adustus), Intermediate (cinereus), and Southern (victor). Major adaptations: Slower metabolism, paws with claws adapted for climbing/hanging, scissor like teeth for processing eucalyptus leaves. WHERE DO KOALAS LIVE? The koala’s habitat is in the country of Australia. Their range is between the eastern and southern parts of the country.

Information facts about their population and habitat vary, but they live mainly in the Australian states of Queensland, New South Wales, South Australia, and Victoria. Although their habitat is in four states of Australia, they live in fragmented territories separated by various man made development activities. Their entire life cycle is restricted by these artificial borders. Their habitat continues to decline as human populations demand more land resources, endangering some koalas. Human pet predators are an additional threat. Baby koalas in particular are vulnerable. IS THE KOALA ENDANGERED? Although the koala does not live in the United States, it is in fact listed under the United States Endangered Species Act as threatened. In its native country of Australia there is no uniform status definition. Their status is dependent on each particular region of each Australian state, which in turn is dependent on population and habitat information. Some areas list it as vulnerable or rare, yet others list it as common. Although it has no natural predators, the areas where it is at risk is highest where the koala’s habitat has been destroyed and/or poaching and hunting is prevalent. In areas where they are common there is a danger of over feeding since they all eat the same kind of plant.

Overall stress on the livelihood of these animals is increasing as threats caused by man made activities shrink and impact their natural environment. Conservation measures will ultimately be necessary to save their habitat and population. Although they have unique adaptations for living in their habitat of eucalyptus forests, wildlife in general cannot adapt as fast as the rapid changes brought on by mankind. ARE KOALAS DANGEROUS? Although they are cute, cuddly, and baby like, wild Koalas should not be approached or handled. Information on koala attacks are very rare and they are not considered dangerous. Still, wild animals in general should be respected from a distance. They do have sharp claws and teeth and can use them if necessary. KOALA PREDATORS In Australia koalas that live in the wild have no natural predators. They are in fact at the top of the food chain in their habitat. Large birds such as owls have been known to prey on baby koalas, although such information is scarce. By definition koalas eat only eucalyptus leaves, they do not prey on other animals.

Koala and Joey - National Geographic Society Koala and Joey Young marsupials stay close to Mom A koala hugs a tree while her baby clings to her back at the Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary near Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. Koalas have adapted to only eat the leaves of eucalyptus trees. Eucalyptus are very low in protein and toxic to many animal species. Being able to digest eucalyptus leaves is an adaptation that benefits the koala by providing it a food source for which there is little competition. Photograph by Anne Keiser Vocabulary Koala s are marsupials native to coast al regions of Australia. Marsupial s are mammal s, just like dogs, cats, and human beings. These mammals are called placental mammal s. Unlike placental mammals, marsupials give birth to tiny, underdeveloped young. Female marsupials have a pouch on their bellies, which they can zip and unzip by using a special muscle . Baby marsupials stay protected in their mother's pouch instead of inside her body. Other marsupials include kangaroos, wallabies, wombats, and opossums.

Like all marsupial babies, baby koalas are called joeys. A koala joey is the size of a jellybean! It has no hair, no ears, and is blind . Joeys crawl into their mother's pouch immediately after birth, and stay there for about six months. That's about how long it takes for them to see, grow ears and hair, and walk (or waddle) on their own. When they're about six months old, joeys venture out into the world, although they stay pretty close to their mother—usually by riding on her back, like this one. Where can you find koalas in the wild? Coastal regions of northern and western Australia are the only places where koalas are found in the wild. Koalas are marsupials. What other animals are marsupials? Kangaroos, wallabys, wombats, and opossums are all marsupials. Extinct species include the Tasmanian tiger, a big cat native to Australia, Tasmania, and New Guinea. What are baby koalas called? Like all marsupials, baby koalas are called joeys.

Joeys are born after only 4-5 weeks of gestation in their mothers' bodies. How long do baby koalas stay with their mothers? Koala joeys stay with their mothers about a year—six months inside her pouch, and six months outside. Term medium-sized animal (marsupial) that lives almost entirely in eucalyptus trees, native to Australia. mammal Noun animal with hair that gives birth to live offspring. Female mammals produce milk to feed their offspring. marsupial mammal that carries its young in a pouch on the mother's body. muscle tissue found in animals that expands and contracts, allowing movement. placental mammal Noun animal (mammal) characterized by the fetus developing inside the body of the mother, in an organ called the placenta. Information on Koalas. This Koala information is regularly updated. What is a koala? The koala is a small bear-like, tree-dwelling, herbivorous marsupial which averages about 9kg (20lb) in weight. Its fur is thick and usually ash grey with a tinge of brown in places.

The koala gets its name from an ancient Aboriginal word meaning "no drink" because it receives over 90% of its hydration from the Eucalyptus leaves (also known as gum leaves) it eats, and only drinks when ill or times when there is not enough moisture in the leaves. ie during droughts etc. The koala is the only mammal, other than the Greater Glider and Ringtail Possum, which can survive on a diet of eucalyptus leaves. Habitat & Diet 'Habitat' refers to the types of bushland that koalas like to live in. They are found in a range of habitats, from coastal islands and tall eucalypt forests to low woodlands inland. Koalas today are found in Queensland , New South Wales , Victoria and South Australia . Their range extends from the Atherton Tableland west of Cairns in Qld to islands off the coast of Victoria and South Australia in the south, and west to central and western Qld, NSW and Victoria. Koalas live in societies, just like humans, so they need to be able to come into contact with other koalas.

It is because of this they need to have areas of suitable eucalypt forest which are large enough to support a healthy koala population and to allow for expansion by maturing young koalas. Koalas are highly territorial and in stable breeding groups, individual members of koala society maintain their own "home range" areas. A �home range� consists of a number of �home range trees� and �food trees� which comprise the long-term territory of the individual koala. These trees provide the koala with food, shelter and places for social contact which will support it for the term of its natural life (assuming there is no habitat clearing). A home range varies in size depending on the habitat quality of bushland. Habitat quality can be measured in terms of the density of key food trees. "Home range trees" define the boundaries of the individual koala�s home range and can be likened to surveyors pegs marking the extent of a property. They are not always apparent to the human eye, but koalas can tell whether a tree �belongs� to another koala or not. Within a socially stable group, the home ranges of individual koalas overlap with those of their neighbours.

It is in the shared, overlapping trees that the majority of social interaction takes place. These are very important trees. Koala populations only occur if suitable habitat is available and because Koala's are very fussy eaters and have strong preferences for different types of gumleaves, then the most important factor which make habitats suitable are the presence of tree species preferred by koalas (usually eucalypts, but also some non-eucalypts) growing in particular associations on suitable soils with adequate rainfall. Research has shown that socially stable koala populations occur only when there are favourite tree species present. Even if a selection of tree species known to be used by koalas occurs within an area, the koala population will not use it unless one or two favourite species are available. In Australia there are over 600 types of eucalypts, but koalas will only eat 40-50 varieties with only about 10 being preferred.

Within a particular area, as few as one, and generally no more than two or three species of eucalypt will be regularly browsed while a variety of other species, including some non-eucalypts, appear to be browsed occasionally or used for just sitting or sleeping in. Different species of eucalypts grow in different parts of Australia, so a koala in Victoria would have a very different diet from one in Queensland. Koalas like a change, too, and sometimes they will eat from other trees such as wattle or tea tree. Eucalyptus leaves are very fibrous and low in nutrition, and to most animals are extremely poisonous. To cope with such a diet, nature has equipped koalas with specialised adaptations. A very slow metabolic rate allows koalas to retain food within their digestive system for a relatively long period of time, maximising the amount of energy able to be extracted. At the same time, this slow metabolic rate minimises energy requirements and they will sleep for up to 18 hours per day in order to conserve energy. Each koala eats approximately 200 to 500 grams of leaves per day. The teeth are adapted to deal with for this.

The sharp front incisors nip the leaves from the branches and the molars(back teeth) are shaped to allow the koala to cut and shear the leaves rather than just crush them. A gap between the incisors and the molars, called a 'diastema', allows the tongue to move the mass of leaves around the mouth efficiently. Physiology The Koala is well suited to life in the trees. The koala has an excellent sense of balance and its body is lean and muscular and its quite long, strong limbs support its weight when climbing. The arms and legs are nearly equal in length and the koala's climbing strength comes from the thigh muscle joining the shin much lower than in other animals. Its paws are especially adapted for gripping and climbing with rough pads on the palms and soles helping it to grip tree trunks and branches. Both front and hind paws have long sharp claws and each paw has five digits. On the front paw, two fingers are opposed to the other three, rather like a human's thumb, so they are able to be moved in opposition to the fingers. This allows the koala to grip more securely.

On the hind paw, there is no claw on the big toe, and the second and third toes are fused together to form a 'grooming claw'. Koalas have a thick woolly fur which protects them from both high and low temperatures.It also acts like a 'raincoat' to repel moisture when it rains. The fur varies in colour from light grey to brown, with patches of white on the chest and neck, inside arms and legs and inside the ears. Mature males are recognisable by the brown 'scent gland' in the centre of their white chest. The fur on the koala's bottom is densely packed to provide a 'cushion' for the hard branches it sits on, and has a 'speckled' appearance which makes koalas hard to spot from the ground. An adult male koala can weigh between 8 and 14 kilograms and a female between 6 and 11 kilograms, with the heavier animals coming from the southern areas where they have adapted to the colder climate by an increase in body weight and thicker fur. If you see Koalas in Queensland, they look noticably smaller than Koalas from Victoria.

Koalas are mostly nocturnal animals and they are most active during the night and at dawn and dusk. This is because in the cooler hours they are less likely to lose precious moisture and energy than they would during the hotter daylight hours. An average of eighteen to twenty hours each day are spent resting and sleeping, and the remainder for feeding, moving around, grooming and social interaction. The Koala's nose is one of its most important features, and it has a very highly developed sense of smell. This is necessary to differentiate between types of gum leaves and to detect whether the leaves are poisonous or not. The Koala's digestive system is especially adapted to detoxify the poisonous chemicals in the leaves. The toxins are thought to be produced by the gum trees as a protection against leaf-eating animals like insects. Trees which grow on less fertile soils seem to have more toxins than those growing on good soils. This could be one reason why koalas will eat only certain types of eucalypts, and why they will sometimes even avoid them when they are growing on certain soils. Climbing trees When approaching a tree to climb, koalas spring from the ground and catch their front claws in the bark, then bound upwards.

Claw marks are usually visible on the trunks of trees regularly used as home trees by koalas. In the safety of their home trees, koalas assume a wide variety of sitting and sleeping postures, and they will move around the tree during the day and night to catch the sun or the breezes. On hot days it is common to see them with limbs dangling in an effort to keep cool, and during colder times, curled up in a ball to conserve body heat. When descending a tree, koalas come down bottom first. They regularly descend to the ground to change trees, and it is there that they are most vulnerable to predators such as dogs, foxes and dingoes, and also to the risk of injury or death from cars. They walk with an awkward-looking gait and can also run. Koalas have sometimes been observed swimming, but this is not a regular occurrence. Communication Koalas use a range of sounds to communicate with one another over relatively large distances. There is a deep grunting bellow which the male uses to signify its social and physical position. Males save fighting energy by bellowing their dominance and they also bellow to allow other animals to accurately locate the position of the caller.

Females do not bellow as often as males, but their calls too are used to express aggression as well as being part of sexual behaviour, often giving the impression of fighting. Mothers and babies make soft clicking, squeaking sounds and gentle humming or murmuring sounds to one another, as well as gentle grunts to signal displeasure or annoyance. All koalas share one common call which is elicited by fear. It is a sickening cry like a baby screaming and is made by animals under stress. It is often accompanied by shaking. Koalas also communicate by marking their trees with their scent. Breeding The main characteristics of marsupials which differentiate them from other mammals is that they give birth to immature young which then develop further in a pouch. The word 'marsupial' comes from the Latin word marsupium, meaning 'pouch.' Most, but not all marsupials have a pouch in which to raise their young. The breeding season for koalas runs roughly from September to March. This is a time of increased activity, and sound levels increase as males bellow more frequently. This is also when the young from the previous year are weaning from their mothers.

Females generally start breeding at about three or four years of age and usually produce only one offspring each year. However, not all females in a wild population will breed each year. Some produce offspring only every two or three years, depending on factors such as the age of the female and the quality of its habitat. In the average female's life span of about twelve years, this means that one female may produce only 5 or 6 offspring over her lifetime. Once a female has conceived, it is only 34-36 days before the birth of the new baby, called a "joey". The tiny baby which is roughly 2 centimetres long and weighs less than 1 gram, looks rather like a pink jellybean as it is totally hairless, blind and has no ears. The joey makes its way from the birth canal to the pouch completely unaided, relying on its already well-developed senses of smell and touch, strong forelimbs and claws and an amazing sense of direction. Once inside the safety of the pouch, it attaches itself to one of the two teats, which swells to fill its mouth. This prevents the joey from being dislodged from its source of food.

The mother contracts her strong sphincter muscle at the pouch opening to prevent the baby from falling out. The young koala drinks only mother's milk for the first six to seven months and remains in the pouch for that time, slowly growing and developing eyes, ears, fur etc. At about 22 weeks, its eyes open and it begins to peep out of the pouch. From about 22 to 30 weeks, it begins to feed upon a substance called "pap" which the mother produces in addition to milk. Pap is a specialised form of faeces, or droppings, which forms an important part of the young koala's diet, allowing it to make the transition from milk to eucalyptus leaves, rather like a human baby is fed "mushy" food when it starts to eat solids. Pap is soft and runny and thought to come from the caecum(a blind ended pouch at the junction of the small and large intestines). It allows the mother to pass on micro-organisms present in her own digestive system which are essential to the digestion of eucalyptus leaves.It is also a rich source of protein.

The joey leans out of the pouch opening on the centre of the mother's abdomen to feed on the pap, stretching it open towards the source of the pap. The baby feeds regularly on the pap and as it grows it emerges totally from the pouch and lies on its mother's belly to feed. Eventually it begins to feed upon fresh leaves as it rides on her back. The young koala continues to take milk from its mother until it is about a year old, but as it can no longer fit in the pouch, the mother's teat elongates to protrude from the pouch opening. Young koalas remain with their mothers until the appearance outside the pouch of the next season's joey. It is then time for the previous year's joey to wean and find its own home range. If a female does not reproduce each year, the joey stays with her longer and has a greater chance of survival when it does leave its mother. Females generally live longer than males as the males are more often injured during fights, they tend to travel longer distances with the resulting increase in risks such as cars and dogs, and they more often occupy poorer habitat.

Putting a life span on the average koala can be misleading because some survive only for a period of weeks or months, while others survive to old age. Koalas living in an undisturbed habitat would have a greater life expectancy than those living in suburbia. Some estimates for the average life-span of an adult wild male koala are ten years, but the average survival rate for a dispersing sub-adult male living near a highway or a housing estate is closer to two or three years. There are always some transient animals who hang around the edges of stable groups. They are usually young males and will often drift between breeding aggregations waiting for an opportunity to become a permanent resident. Threats Since European settlement, approximately 80% of Australia's eucalypt forests have been decimated. Of the remaining 20% almost none is protected and most occurs on privately-owned land. Settlers favoured the rich fertile lands along the eastern seaboard to have their farms and urban developments. Unfortunately, this is where the majority of koalas are already living because they also like to live in trees which are growing in fertile soils.

The main causes of loss of habitat include: LAND CLEARING � injury or death from traffic � injury or death from dogs and cats � effects of garden pesticides getting into waterways � increased competition for food and territory because of overcrowding � increased stress on animals, making them more susceptible to disease. It has also been documented that over 4000 koalas are killed each year by dogs and cars. It easy to see that the biggest threat to the Koala population is the human. BUSHFIRES Koala populations in fragmented areas of bushland are at great risk of localised extinction from a single fire which may wipe out an entire habitat. Bushfires are extremely common in the Summer months. DIEBACK Changes in the balance of the ecosystem can lead to dieback of trees. The cutting back of the original vast forests has created patches of forest separated from each other by treeless land. Small, isolated patches of forest are prone to dieback.

Dieback is a general term for the gradual dying of trees due to factors such as land degradation, leaching of soil nutrients, changes in the composition of vegetation communities, rising water levels underground, salination of the soil, erosion caused by wind and water, exposure to weather and excessive defoliation (or loss of leaves). The underlying cause of all these factors appears to be the clearing and disturbance of forests. Seventy five percent of the main koala food tree species are declining in numbers as a result of this. OTHER THREATS Today the natural predators of the koala do not make a significant impact on wild populations.They include goannas dingoes, powerful owls, wedge-tailed eagles, and pythons, all of which are most likely to prey upon juvenile koalas. Feral animals are another threat koalas have had to face since European settlement. Foxes have been blamed for preying upon young koalas when their mother descends to the ground to change trees, and large feral cats may also be a problem for young koalas. Long droughts also have an effect on the Koala population DISEASE Disease is part of the natural history of the koala.

There are 4 common koala diseases caused by the chlamydia organism: conjunctivitis which can cause blindness, pneumonia, urinary tract infections and reproductive tract infections, which can cause female infertility. The symptoms of chlamydia manifest as sore eyes, chest infections, and "wet bottom" or "dirty tail". Different strains of chlamydia bacteria are thought to cause these diseases. In 1995, scientists isolated two strains called chlamydia pecorum and chlamydia pneumoniae. Scientists now believe that the chlamydia organism has been occuring amongst koala populations for many years, and has acted as a natural population control in times of stress. The organism is harmless in populations with unlimited resources, but manifests in times of stress, such as happens when habitat is reduced. The weaker animals succumb to the disease, become sick, infertile or die, leaving the genetically stronger animals to continue breeding. In disease-free populations which have been moved to areas where they were not native or where there is not enough habitat to support them (such as on some islands off Victoria and Kangaroo Island in South Australia), problems with overpopulation have arisen because of this unnatural situation.

However, this is not the case in most mainland populations, and indeed many of the mainland colonies are in decline. Koalas also suffer from a range of cancers like leukemia and skin cancers. Great Koala/ Australian Wildlife Links Very Cute Koala Babies - joeys - YouTube Very Cute Koala Babies - joeys Want to watch this again later? Sign in to add this video to a playlist. Need to report the video? Sign in to report inappropriate content. The interactive transcript could not be loaded. Loading... Rating is available when the video has been rented. This feature is not available right now. Please try again later. Published on Oct 1, 2013 Koalas babies are called joeys (Australia) Koalas are mammals, just like we are.Koalas are marsupials. That means they have a pouch to carry their joeys. All marsupial babies are called joeys. There are three kinds of koalas all named after their state where they live. The most common kind is the Queensland koala. Koalas live in Australia in Eucalytus trees.

The main characteristics of marsupials which differentiate them from other mammals is that they give birth to immature young which then develop further in a pouch. The word 'marsupial' comes from the Latin word marsupium, meaning 'pouch.' Most, but not all marsupials have a pouch in which to raise their young. The breeding season for koalas runs roughly from September to March. This is a time of increased activity, and sound levels increase as males bellow more frequently. This is also when the young from the previous year are weaning from their mothers. Females generally start breeding at about three or four years of age and usually produce only one offspring each year. However, not all females in a wild population will breed each year. Some produce offspring only every two or three years, depending on factors such as the age of the female and the quality of its habitat. In the average female's life span of about twelve years, this means that one female may produce only 5 or 6 offspring over her lifetime. Once a female has conceived, it is only 34-36 days before the birth of the new baby, called a "joey".

The tiny baby which is roughly 2 centimetres long and weighs less than 1 gram, looks rather like a pink jellybean as it is totally hairless, blind and has no ears. The joey makes its way from the birth canal to the pouch completely unaided, relying on its already well-developed senses of smell and touch, strong forelimbs and claws and an amazing sense of direction. Once inside the safety of the pouch, it attaches itself to one of the two teats, which swells to fill its mouth. This prevents the joey from being dislodged from its source of food. The mother contracts her strong sphincter muscle at the pouch opening to prevent the baby from falling out. The young koala drinks only mother's milk for the first six to seven months and remains in the pouch for that time, slowly growing and developing eyes, ears, fur etc. At about 22 weeks, its eyes open and it begins to peep out of the pouch. From about 22 to 30 weeks, it begins to feed upon a substance called "pap" which the mother produces in addition to milk.

Pap is a specialised form of faeces, or droppings, which forms an important part of the young koala's diet, allowing it to make the transition from milk to eucalyptus leaves, rather like a human baby is fed "mushy" food when it starts to eat solids. Pap is soft and runny and thought to come from the caecum(a blind ended pouch at the junction of the small and large intestines). It allows the mother to pass on micro-organisms present in her own digestive system which are essential to the digestion of eucalyptus leaves.It is also a rich source of protein. The joey leans out of the pouch opening on the centre of the mother's abdomen to feed on the pap, stretching it open towards the source of the pap. The baby feeds regularly on the pap and as it grows it emerges totally from the pouch and lies on its mother's belly to feed. Eventually it begins to feed upon fresh leaves as it rides on her back. The young koala continues to take milk from its mother until it is about a year old, but as it can no longer fit in the pouch, the mother's teat elongates to protrude from the pouch opening.

Young koalas remain with their mothers until the appearance outside the pouch of the next season's joey. It is then time for the previous year's joey to wean and find its own home range. If a female does not reproduce each year, the joey stays with her longer and has a greater chance of survival when it does leave its mother. Females generally live longer than males as the males are more often injured during fights, they tend to travel longer distances with the resulting increase in risks such as cars and dogs, and they more often occupy poorer habitat. Putting a life span on the average koala can be misleading because some survive only for a period of weeks or months, while others survive to old age. Koalas living in an undisturbed habitat would have a greater life expectancy than those living in suburbia. Some estimates for the average life-span of an adult wild male koala are ten years, but the average survival rate for a dispersing sub-adult male living near a highway or a housing estate is closer to two or three years. There are always some transient animals who hang around the edges of stable groups. They are usually young males and will often drift between breeding aggregations waiting for an opportunity to become a permanent resident.

Category Life cycle of the Koala | Australian Koala Foundation Australian Koala Foundation Donate Here Life cycle of the Koala The breeding season for Koalas runs roughly from August to February. This is a time of increased activity, and sound levels increase as males bellow more frequently. This is also when the young from the previous year are dispersing from their mothers. Where Koalas live near suburban settlements and major roads, this period heralds the busiest time for Koala carers, as Koalas on the move cross paths with cars and dogs, and accompanying stress levels mean a higher incidence of sickness. Females generally start breeding at about three or four years of age and usually produce only one offspring each year. However, not all females in a wild population will breed each year. Some produce offspring only every two or three years, depending on factors such as the age of the female and the quality of the habitat. In the average female's life span of about twelve years, this means that one female may produce only 5 or 6 offspring over her lifetime. Once a female has conceived it is a short 35 days before the birth of the new baby, called a "joey".

The tiny baby which is roughly 2 centimetres long and weighs less than 1 gram, looks rather like a pink jellybean as it is totally hairless, blind and has no ears. The joey makes its way from the birth canal to the pouch completely unaided, relying on its already well-developed senses of smell and touch, strong forelimbs and claws and an innate sense of direction. Once inside the safety of the pouch, it attaches itself to one of the two teats, which swells to fill its mouth. This prevents the joey from being dislodged from its source of food. The mother contracts her strong sphincter muscle at the pouch opening to prevent the baby from falling out. P.Schouten, From 'Koalas, the little Australians we'd all hate to lose' Bill Phillips AGPS The young Koala drinks only mother's milk for the first six to seven months and remains in the pouch for that time, slowly growing and developing eyes, ears, fur etc. At about 22 weeks, its eyes open and it begins to peep out of the pouch.

From about 22 to 30 weeks, it begins to feed upon a substance called "pap" which the mother produces in addition to milk. Pap is a specialised form of faeces, or droppings, which forms an important part of the young Koala's diet, allowing it to make the transition from milk to eucalyptus leaves, rather like a human baby is fed "mushy" food when it starts to eat solids. Pap is soft and runny and thought to come from the caecum. It allows the mother to pass on micro-organisms present in her own digestive system which are essential to the digestion of eucalyptus leaves, and is a rich source of protein. The joey leans out of the pouch opening on the centre of the mother's abdomen to feed on the pap, stretching it open towards the source of the pap, and therefore 'downwards' or 'backwards'. This is why Koalas are sometimes said to have a 'backward-opening' pouch, although this is not strictly true. The baby feeds regularly on the pap and as it grows it emerges totally from the pouch and lies on its mother's belly to feed.

Eventually it begins to feed upon fresh leaves as it rides on her back. The young Koala continues to take milk from its mother until it is about a year old, but as it can no longer fit in the pouch, the mother's teat elongates to protrude from the pouch opening. Young Koalas remain with their mothers until the appearance outside the pouch of the next season's joey. It is then time for the previous year's joey to disperse and find its own home range. If a female does not reproduce each year, the joey stays with her longer and has a greater chance of survival when it does leave its mother. Females generally live longer than males as the males are more often injured during fights, they tend to travel longer distances with the resulting increase in risks such as cars and dogs, and they more often occupy poorer habitat. Putting a life span on the average Koala can be misleading because some survive only for a period of weeks or months, while others survive to old age. Koalas living in an undisturbed habitat would have a greater life expectancy than those living in suburbia.

Some estimates for the average life-span of an adult wild male Koala are ten years, but the average survival rate for a dispersing sub-adult male living near a highway or a housing estate is closer to two or three years. All about joeys! Kangaroo babies aren’t the only joeys! In fact all baby marsupials are called joeys - like Koala joeys, possum joeys, and sugar glider joeys. All baby marsupials have a very interesting life, from the moment they are born to when they leave their mothers to make their way in the world of the Australian bush. Koala joeys begin their life with an amazing journey! A Koala is born: When the mother Koala gives birth, the little joey Koala makes its way to the pouch all by itself, with no help from its mother. One of the most amazing things about this is that the Koala joey is blind when it is born, and relies totally on its well-developed senses of touch and smell and strong forelimbs and claws to help it get to the pouch. Koala Joey Jelly-bean?: The new-born joey weighs less than one gram and looks something like a pink jellybean.

It is roughly 2cm long, blind, hairless, and looks very different to the cute, fluffy little bundle that it will become later. Once inside the safety of its mother’s pouch, the little joey attaches itself to a teat which swells to fill its mouth. It takes several months for the joey to grow and develop, drinking its mother’s milk until it first shows its little face to the world. Another amazing thing about the life of a joey Koala: When the joey is about 6-7 months old it is ready to begin weaning from milk to gumleaves. To do this, the mother Koala passes on to the joey, the micro-organisms in her stomach that are necessary to make the digestion of gumleaves possible. She does this by producing a substance called ‘pap’ which is a specialised form of faeces (or koala poo). Unlike normal hard, dry Koala pellets, ‘pap’ is soft and runny in consistency. Life outside the pouch: As soon as it begins its diet of gumleaves, the young Koala grows at a much faster rate, becoming more adventurous as it grows bigger and stronger.

At first, the young Koala cuddles into its mother’s belly for warmth and shelter but also rides on its mother’s back. Eventually, the young Koala will begin to make short trips away from its mother. All grown up: From 12 months onwards, Koala joeys leave their mothers to find their own home ranges. That’s when life gets harder for young Koalas because they have to find their own territory - somewhere with the right tree species with tasty gumleaves to eat and somewhere near to other Koalas. And hopefully somewhere that is safe from threats like habitat destruction, cars and dogs. The Australian Koala Foundation estimates that at least 4000 Koalas are killed by cars and dogs each year and habitat destruction is the greatest threat to the Koala’s long term survival. About Koalas Interesting Facts | Australian Koala Foundation Australian Koala Foundation Donate Here Interesting Facts Students: you can read our FAQ section here , or use our search function up the top to search for specific info! - Koalas are not bears.

They are not placental or 'eutherian' mammals, but MARSUPIALS, which means that their young are born immature & they develop further in the safety of a pouch. It’s incorrect to call them ‘Koala bears' - their correct name is simply 'Koalas'. Did you know you can adopt your own cute Koala through the AKF? Click here to find out more. (ABC) - Habitat loss is the greatest threat to Koalas. The main reasons for this are land clearing, bushfires and diseases of the eucalypts, like ‘dieback' which cause the trees to die. The AKF wants a Koala Protection Act, which means that Koala trees can’t be touched. Donate today to help us achieve this for Koalas. - The AKF estimates that there are likely to be less than 80,000 Koalas remaining in Australia today and it could be as low as 43,000. Much of their habitat has already been lost. This makes it vitally important to save what is left.

- Koalas have 5 digits on each front paw, two of which are opposed to the others, much like our thumbs are able to be moved differently from the fingers. This helps them to hold firmly onto the branches and to grip their food. The 2nd and 3rd digits on their hind paws are fused together to form a grooming claw. - Koalas are mostly nocturnal. Nocturnal animals are awake at night and asleep during the day. Koalas, however, sleep for part of the night and also sometimes move about in the daytime. They often sleep for up to 18-20 hours each day. - There is a myth that Koalas sleep a lot because they ‘get drunk’ on gumleaves. Fortunately, this is not correct! Most of their time is spent sleeping because it requires a lot of energy to digest their toxic, fibrous, low-nutrition diet and sleeping is the best way to conserve energy - Koalas in the southern parts of Australia (left) are considerably larger and have thicker fur than those in the north (right).This is thought to be an adaptation to keep them warm in the colder southern winters.

- Each Koala’s ‘home' is made up of several trees called HOME TREES. They visit these same trees regularly. The area covered by these trees is called the Koala’s HOME RANGE. Each Koala has its own home range, which overlaps those of other Koalas. Unless breeding, they don’t normally visit another Koalas home trees. The size of each home range depends upon a range of factors including the quality of the habitat and the sex, age and social position in the population of the Koala. - A mature male has a dark scent gland in the centre of his white chest which exudes a dark, sticky substance. He rubs this on his trees to indicate to other Koalas that this is his territory - Koalas also communicate with each other by making a range of noises. The most startling and unexpected of these in such a seemingly gentle animal is a sound like a loud snore and then a belch, known as a ‘bellow' - Baby Koalas are known as ‘Joeys'. Scientists often refer to them using terms like ‘juveniles', ‘pouch young' and ‘back young'.

- Younger breeding females usually give birth to one Joey each year, depending on a range of factors. However, not all females in a wild population will breed each year. Some, especially older females, will produce offspring only every two or three years.- (animal-kid.com) - When the Joey is born, it’s only about 2 centimetres long, is blind and furless and its ears are not yet developed. On its amazing journey to the pouch, it relies on its well-developed senses of smell and touch, its strong forelimbs and claws, and an inborn sense of direction. Once in the pouch, it attaches itself to one of the two teats which swells in its mouth, preventing it from being dislodged from its source of food. - The Joey stays in its mother’s pouch for about 6 or 7 months, drinking only milk. Before it can tolerate gumleaves, which are toxic for most mammals, the joey must feed on a substance called ‘pap' which is a specialised form of the mother’s droppings that is soft and runny.

This allows the mother to pass on to the joey special micro-organisms from her intestine which are necessary for it to be able to digest the gumleaves. It feeds on this for a period of up to a few weeks, just prior to it coming out of the pouch at about 6 or 7 months of age. - After venturing out of the pouch, the Joey rides on its mother’s abdomen or back, although it continues to return to her pouch for milk until it is too big to fit inside. The joey leaves its mother’s home range between 1 and 3 years old, depending on when the mother has her next joey. You can adopt your own Joey here! - Female Koalas are fully mature by about 2 years of age and males by their third or fourth year. By this time they need to have found their own home range, either in a home range left vacant by a dead Koala or in a new area of the forest. This is one reason why Koalas need quite large areas of habitat. - Koalas do not live in rainforests or desert areas.

They live in the tall eucalypt forests and low eucalypt woodlands of mainland eastern Australia, and on some islands off the southern and eastern coasts. Queensland, NSW, Victoria and South Australia are the only states where Koalas are found naturally in the wild. - The Australian Koala Foundation believes that the Australian Government should be responsible for the protection of all Koala habitat on private land. The current fragmented approach of each State being responsible for its own Koalas is not working. - There are well over 600 varieties of eucalypts. Koalas eat only some of these. They are very fussy eaters and have strong preferences for different types of gum leaves. Within a particular area, as few as one, and generally no more than two or three species of eucalypt will be regularly browsed (we call these 'primary browse trees') while a variety of other species, including some non-eucalypts, appear to be browsed occasionally or used for just sitting or sleeping in. - Different species of eucalypts grow in different parts of Australia, so a Koala in Victoria would have a very different diet from one in Queensland.

Click here to view the AKF's National Koala Tree Planting List. (otwayskoalas.blogspot.com) - A forest can only have a certain number of Koalas living in it. This is called the forest’s ‘carrying capacity'. Like pasture for sheep, the available gumtrees can only feed a certain number of Koalas. - An adult Koala eats about half a kilogram to one kilogram of leaves each night, depending on many factors, including the size and sex of the koala and where the Koala lives. - Koalas have an unusual fibre-digesting organ called a caecum. Other mammals, including humans, also have a caecum, but the Koala's is very long (200 cms) and it has a blind end. It contains millions of bacteria which break down the fibre into substances which are easier to absorb. Even so, the Koala is still only able to absorb 25% of fibre eaten, hence their need to eat large amounts of leaves. (Friends of the Koala) - Koalas don’t normally need to drink as they get all the moisture they need from the gumleaves.

However, they can drink if necessary, such as in times of drought when the leaves may not contain sufficient moisture. (Koala Land) - Chlamydia is an organism which lives in the body tissues of most healthy Koalas. In normal populations, we believe that chlamydia may act as an inbuilt control mechanism to limit the population so that the trees are not overbrowsed, ensuring that only the strongest and fittest animals survive to breed. (BBC) - Chlamydia can also sometimes make the Koalas sick but usually only when they get stressed, such as when their habitat is destroyed and, as a result, they have to cope with the dangers of cars, dogs and lack of food. This is why we need a Koala Protection Act . Donate today to help us achieve this for Koalas. (The Green Journal) - The Australian Koala Foundation estimates that as a result of the loss of their habitat, around 4,000 Koalas are killed each year by dogs and cars alone. - Australia has one of the highest land clearing rates in the world. 80% of Koala habitat has already disappeared.

- Although Koalas themselves are protected by law, around eighty percent of any remaining habitat occurs on privately owned land and almost none of that is protected by legislation. This is why we need a Koala Protection Act . - The AKF was successful in getting the Koala listed as ‘Vulnerable’ in 2012. Unfortunately this changed nothing, and Koala populations are still rapidly declining. Click here to send an email or letter to the Federal Minister for the Environment in support of a Koala Protection Act. Koala Kid - National Wildlife Federation Koala Kid by Ellen Lambeth; photos by Suzi Eszterhas The mother koala in the photo above seems to be showing her little one which leaves taste the best. Just a quick glance at the two of them is enough to make you say, "Awww, how sweet!" Koalas may look like cuddly teddy bears, but bears they are not. Koalas are marsupials (mar-SOO-pee-ulz), mammals that begin their lives in pouches. You may know that a young kangaroo is called a joey. All marsupial babies, including koalas, are joeys, too.

Also, like kangaroos—and most other marsupials—koalas live only on the island country of Australia (see map). And there aren't nearly as many of them as there once were. More about that later. For now, let's take a look at a joey's life, from birth to independence. At five months old, the barely fuzzy baby above—let's call him Joe—stretches up from the pouch to greet Mom. After another couple of months, the pouch fit is getting a bit snug. MOM AND JOEY When a koala is first born, it's tiny—about the size of a gummy bear—and helpless. Even so, it manages to find its way into its mother's pouch. There, it latches on to a nipple and spends the next few months nursing and growing. At around five to six months of age, the joey starts peeking out at Mom and the world. But it returns to the pouch for safety and comfort—until it gets too big to fit inside. It can't live in there and drink its mother's milk forever.

It has to learn to eat what all grown koalas eat: the leaves of eucalyptus (yoo-kuh-LIP-tuss) trees. Eucalyptus leaves might seem like an odd food choice. They are tough to chew and hard to digest, and they're not very nutritious. They even have poisons in them! But over time, koalas have evolved to eat eucalyptus and little else. They even get most of the water they need from the leaves. So, how do koalas survive on such a strange diet? They have special bacteria (germs) in their guts that help break down the tough leaves and get rid of the poisons. And koalas sleep up to 20 hours a day! That saves energy while their bodies work extra hard digesting their food. A joey isn't born with the "good germs" needed to handle eucalyptus leaves. It has to get them from its mother. How? By eating her poop—sort of. It's actually called pap. It comes out the same place as poop, but it's not quite the same thing. Like any baby food, pap is soft and easy to eat.

But even more important, it contains the necessary bacteria. Eating pap might sound gross. But it's the only way a joey can begin a safe eucalyptus diet. Over the next few months, the joey spends more and more time outside the pouch. It clings to its mother's front and begins to sample some eucalyptus leaves. As it grows bigger, it rides around more on its mother's back. GROWING UP A joey continues riding its mom piggyback even after it gets quite big. But it also starts testing out its own climbing skills. Good thing the fur on its rump is growing in nice and thick, too. This works as a built-in cushion that helps a koala balance comfortably on a branch or in the crook of a tree. Before long, the joey will need to move away from home and learn to get by without Mom's help. That's especially true if a new little brother or sister is about to pop out of Mom's pouch. The joey may stick around in its mother's neighborhood for a while. It won't be fully grown up until it's two or three years old.

Before then, though, it will look for a new neighborhood to call its own. If the joey is a female, she will grow up to have a joey of her own every year or two. If the joey is a male, he will try to win over lots of females when he grows up. But female koalas can be very picky. So a young male must practice his bellow, which sounds like a cross between a snore and a long, loud burp. Females can tell how big and strong a male is by his bellow. The bigger and stronger, the better! Besides bellowing, males also mark their "home trees." Each male has a scent gland on his chest that oozes out sticky, stinky stuff. He rubs his chest against the trees to wipe his scent there. The scent tells other males to steer clear. It also tells females that he'd make a great mate. There's a problem with koalas raising new families and spreading out into new neighborhoods, though. The eucalyptus forests of eastern Australia are becoming smaller and smaller—as well as farther and farther apart. TROUBLE IN PARADISE Koalas face tough times.

Long ago, people killed millions of them for their thick, woolly coats. Koalas are now protected by law—but their homes aren't, which is a huge problem. More and more eucalyptus trees are being cut down to make way for farms and towns. And that means the right leaves to eat are getting harder and harder to find. Also, while koalas roam on the ground in search of food, mates, and new places to live, many are hit by cars or attacked by dogs. Koalas get so stressed out dealing with these dangers that they easily become sick from disease. Many people in Australia are working hard to help koalas. Some rescue koalas that become lost, injured, or ill. Others plant trees. Still others teach the public and the government about how best to save the species. Every cute, cuddly koala that's born is precious, of course. But what's even more precious is a place each koala can call home. Good news: This sick koala (at left) is getting better! It may soon move back to the wild from the Currumbin Wildlife Hospital.

Rangers: We thank Deborah Tabart OAM, CEO of the Australian Koala Foundation (AKF), for her help with this story. For more about koalas, visit AKF online at savethekoala.com . -Ranger Rick

Question: What is the young of a koala called?
Answer: Joey