Koala Trivia

Female koalas have two mammae; and rather than a chest gland, have a pouch that opens to the rear and extends upward and forward.

Koalas from the southern end of the range are generally larger in size than their northern counterparts.

Koalas inhabit temperate and subtropical/tropical dry forests and dry savanna habitats.

Koalas inhabit temperate and subtropical/tropical dry forests and dry savanna habitats.

Koalas may live past 10 years in the wild, and there have been reports of lifespans over 20 years in captivity. In the wild, longevity of 12 for males to 15 years for females has been reported.

A young koala is called a “joey”.

Koalas are completely arboreal, remaining mostly in the branches of eucalyptus trees where they are able to feed and stay out of reach of their predators.

During the breeding season, male koalas use loud, bellowing calls that consist of a series of harsh inhalations each followed by a resonant, growling expiration. The only vocalization generally heard from females and sub-adult males is a harsh, wailing distress call given when harassed by adult males.

Litters generally consist of only one young, but twins have been reported.

The gestation period is 25-35 days.

The koala is primarily a solitary animal and outside of the breeding season, there is little obvious social behavior. Sometimes, koalas lives in small harems led by a single male.

Koalas are herbivorous, feeding on both eucalypt and non-eucalypt species.

Koalas are polygynous and breed seasonally. During the breeding season, adult males are very active at night and move constantly through their range, both ejecting male rivals and mating with any receptive females.

The koala is endemic to Australia.

Koalas are folivorous, feeding on both eucalypt and non-eucalypt species.

The koala is evaluated as “Vulnerable” on the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species. The IUCN considers that the conservation status of the koala is border-line between Near Threatened and Vulnerable, but adopts a precautionary assessment given the proximity of the estimated current and projected rate of decline to the threshold, and published assessments of the likelihood of additional and compound impacts due to climate change.

The word koala comes from the Dharug gula, meaning no water.

The koala’s scientific name is Phascolarctos cinereus. The generic name, Phascolarctos, is derived from the Greek words phaskolos and arktos. The specific name, cinereus, is Latin.

Koala copulation occurs in a tree.

Koalas have dense, wooly fur that is gray to brown on top and varies with geographic location.

Koalas have a plantigrade form of locomotion.

There is no national recovery plan for the koala; however there is a national conservation and management strategy, a recovery plan in New South Wales, a management strategy in Victoria, and a conservation plan and management program in Queensland.

Current threats to the koala include continued habitat destruction, fragmentation, and modification (which makes them vulnerable to predation by dogs, vehicle strikes, and other factors), bushfires, and disease, as well as drought-associated mortality in habitat fragments. Koalas are also threatened by the microorganism Chlamydia psittaci, which can make them sterile.

Current threats to the koala include continued habitat destruction, fragmentation, and modification (which makes them vulnerable to predation by dogs, vehicle strikes, and other factors), bushfires, and disease, as well as drought-associated mortality in habitat fragments. Koalas are also threatened by the microorganism Chlamydia psittaci, which can make them sterile.

Current threats to the koala include continued habitat destruction, fragmentation, and modification (which makes them vulnerable to predation by dogs, vehicle strikes, and other factors), bushfires, and disease, as well as drought-associated mortality in habitat fragments. Koalas are also threatened by the microorganism Chlamydia psittaci, which can make them sterile.

Current threats to the koala include continued habitat destruction, fragmentation, and modification (which makes them vulnerable to predation by dogs, vehicle strikes, and other factors), bushfires, and disease, as well as drought-associated mortality in habitat fragments. Koalas are also threatened by the microorganism Chlamydia psittaci, which can make them sterile.

The koala has cheek pouches that allow the animal to store unchewed food while moving to a safer or more protected location.

Despite this name, koalas are not bears and are instead marsupials found in the Mammalia class.

Despite this name, koalas are not bears and are instead marsupials found in the Mammalia class.

The koala’s habitat is not severely fragmented according to the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.

The koala is not a migrant.

Koalas are slow-moving and sleep up to 18 hours a day.

Commercial harvesting took place across the koala’s range towards the end of the 19th century and early 20th century and koalas were nearly exterminated. Millions of koalas were killed. Koala subpopulations were severely depleted and their environments were destroyed by fires caused by humans. This was banned in Victoria in the 1890s, and it continued sporadically and under regulation in Queensland until 1927.

The koala’s total geographic range and overall distribution has contracted significantly due to loss of large areas of habitat since European settlement. This decline was primarily due to disease, bushfires, and widespread habitat destruction in the early decades of the 20th century.

Koalas are mainly nocturnal and feed at night.

The koala has no sweat glands.

Koalas exhibit sexual dimorphism with the males being larger. Males are up to 50% heavier than females, have a broader face, somewhat smaller ears, and a large chest gland.

Koalas from the northern end of the range have coats that are generally shorter and lighter than their southern counterparts.

Koalas inhabit temperate and subtropical/tropical dry forests and dry savanna habitats.

Generation length is 6-8 years.

The leaves that koalas feast on are highly toxic, but koalas have a flora of bacteria in their stomachs that metabolize the toxins of the leaves.

Koalas come to the ground occasionally to move to another food tree or to lick up soil or gravel which aids in digestion.

During the breeding season, koalas use loud, bellowing calls that consist of a series of harsh inhalations each followed by a resonant, growling expiration. These calls advertise an individual’s presence and warn off other males.

During the breeding season, koalas use loud, bellowing calls that consist of a series of harsh inhalations each followed by a resonant, growling expiration. These calls advertise an individual’s presence and warn off other males.

Young koalas weigh less than 0.5 grams when born.

Births occur in mid-summer of December and January, ranging from October to May.

Koalas live in loose-knit groups if enough suitable trees are present, but only one animal per tree.

Koalas have a highly specialized diet in which they eat only 20 of the 350 species of eucalyptus and prefer only 5 species. The koala’s diet is mostly limited to foliage of Eucalyptus species with occasional intake of leaves of other plants, mostly in the Myrtaceous genera, but the bulk of its diet comes from only a few eucalypt species. Eucalyptus viminalis and Eucalyptus ovata are preferred in the south, while Eucalyptus punctata, Eucalyptus camaldulensis and Eucalyptus tereticornis are the taste of the north.

The breeding season is in October-February.

The koala is endemic to Australia and lives in the eastern range from northern Queensland to southwestern Victoria.

The koala’s paws are large, and both fore and hind feet have five strongly clawed digits.

When born, koalas attach to one of the nipples in the pouch, feeding on milk or predigested leaves that are nontoxic, and are weaned at 6-12 months.

It was at one time thought, since the animals were not observed to come down from trees often, that they were able to survive without drinking. The leaves of the eucalyptus tree have a high water content, so the koala does not need to drink often. But the notion that they do not need to drink water at all was shown to be a myth.

Climate change is likely to have severe consequences for the koala. It is expected to lead to an increased rate of population reduction over the next 20-30 years, and the impacts of other threats will magnify over this period.

Koala copulation is brief, generally lasting less than two minutes.

There is white on the chin, chest, and inner side of the forelimbs. The rump is often dappled with white patches and the ears are fringed with long, white hairs.

There is white on the chin, chest, and inner side of the forelimbs. The rump is often dappled with white patches and the ears are fringed with long, white hairs.

There is white on the chin, chest, and inner side of the forelimbs. The rump is often dappled with white patches and the ears are fringed with long, white hairs.

Koalas have a vestigial tail.

There are numerous captive breeding facilities in Australia, and internationally.

Currently, the koala’s main threat is habitat destruction.

There are 100,000-500,000 mature koala individuals.

The generic name, Phascolarctos, is derived from the Greek words phaskolos and arktos. Phaskolos translates to pouch, referring to the female koala’s pouch that opens to the rear and extends upward and forward, and arktos translates to bear, again remarking the koala’s resemblance to species in the Ursidae family. The specific name, cinereus, is Latin for ash-colored.

The generic name, Phascolarctos, is derived from the Greek words phaskolos and arktos. Phaskolos translates to pouch, referring to the female koala’s pouch that opens to the rear and extends upward and forward, and arktos translates to bear, again remarking the koala’s resemblance to species in the Ursidae family. The specific name, cinereus, is Latin for ash-colored.

The generic name, Phascolarctos, is derived from the Greek words phaskolos and arktos. Phaskolos translates to pouch, referring to the female koala’s pouch that opens to the rear and extends upward and forward, and arktos translates to bear, again remarking the koala’s resemblance to species in the Ursidae family. The specific name, cinereus, is Latin for ash-colored.

Koala home range size varies substantially with forest structure and productivity, and males typically have larger home ranges than females.

At high population densities, koalas can defoliate preferred tree species, causing tree death and subsequent koala population crash. As such, management of the koala can be difficult. Populations that are protected can reach such high numbers in an area that they destroy the trees on which they feed. Often portions of populations have to be relocated in order to reduce the number of individuals in a given area. However, this is complicated by the shortage of suitable forest areas where surplus animals can be released.

Because of their low-quality diet, koalas have a low metabolic rate and conserve energy by their relatively sedentary behavior.

Because of their low-quality diet, koalas have a low metabolic rate and conserve energy by their relatively sedentary behavior.

Millions of koalas were killed for their warm, thick pelts for a large export industry in Victoria, New South Wales, and Queensland.

In Queensland, extent of occurrence and area of occupancy have contracted by about 30%. In 2012, the overall rate of decline in population size over the last 18-24 years, or three generations, was estimated at about 28% by the Threatened Species Scientific Committee. This rate is substantially influenced by a severe decline in inland regions most exposed to recent drought. A separate expert elicitation process involving independent estimates from 15 koala experts of population size in every bioregion inhabited by koalas concluded that the koala population size reduction or projected reduction over three generations is a mean of 29%, albeit with substantial variation amongst experts in estimation of this rate.

Traditionally, three distinct koala subspecies have been recognized: the Queensland koala (P. c. adustus, Thomas 1923), the New South Wales koala (P. c. cinereus, Goldfuss 1817), and the Victorian koala (P. c. victor, Troughton 1935). These forms are distinguished by pelage color and thickness, body size, and skull shape and their boundaries are based on state borders.

The koala cools itself by licking its arms and stretching out as it rests in the trees.

The koala cools itself by licking its arms and stretching out as it rests in the trees.

Young koalas have a pouch life of 5-7 months, feeding on milk or predigested leaves that are nontoxic.

An adult koala can eat 500 grams daily.

Females can produce young at annual intervals and usually breed once every year. Births per adult female per year average 0.3-0.8.

Individual adult koalas occupy fixed home ranges that have extensive overlap. For breeding males, the home range will overlap those of females as well as sub-adult and non-breeding males.

Individual adult koalas occupy fixed home ranges that have extensive overlap. For breeding males, the home range will overlap those of females as well as sub-adult and non-breeding males.

Individual adult koalas occupy fixed home ranges that have extensive overlap. For breeding males, the home range will overlap those of females as well as sub-adult and non-breeding males.

A male koala is called a “buck”.

Effective management of some of the koala’s threats on the mainland could lead to excessive abundance and result in pest problems similar to those occurring on Kangaroo Island and in parts of Victoria.

Effective management of some of the koala’s threats on the mainland could lead to excessive abundance and result in pest problems similar to those occurring on Kangaroo Island and in parts of Victoria.

Sometimes, koalas lives in small harems or clings led by a single male.

Sometimes, koalas lives in small harems or clings led by a single male.

After 1927, as a result of public outcry, the koala became legally protected. Koalas are now protected and can no longer be hunted.

A female koala is called a “doe”.