If a competition were held among the representatives of the animal world of our planet for the cutest animal, then the koala, or the Australian marsupial, would probably take one of the prizes there. After all, he looks so much like a little teddy bear, so beloved by children. Did you know that the word “koala” from one of the Australian aboriginal languages is translated as “does not drink”? That is, this is what the indigenous Australians (by the way, far from our European depravity with alcoholic beverages) nicknamed this animal because it almost never drinks water, although later zoologists found that, although occasionally, koalas still drink water.
Koala: description, structure, characteristics. What does a koala look like?
Although the koala is called a marsupial bear, or an Australian bear, due to some external similarity, it has nothing to do with real bears; the koala and the bear are not even distant relatives. The koala belongs to the family of marsupials, which is represented by three species: koalas themselves, wombats and kangaroos. The wombat is the closest relative of the koala.
The appearance of the koala is very unusual. Its fur is short and thick, usually gray, smoky in color, but there are koalas with brown shades. But her belly is always white.
The body length of the koala is 60-85 cm, with a weight of up to 14 kg.
The koala's eyes are small and blind, vision is not its greatest advantage, but the koala's weak vision is fully compensated by its excellent hearing and sense of smell. The koala's large ears are located at the edges of its head and are also covered with fur. The koala also has a large flattened black nose.
Koala teeth are ideal for eating plants; however, all marsupials, including wombats, these closest relatives of koalas, have a similar tooth structure.
And since koalas live mainly in trees, nature gave them tenacious front paws with long claws (promoting tenacity). Each koala's front paw has two double-phalangeal thumbs and three standard three-phalangeal toes. The hind legs are arranged differently - on the koala’s foot there is only one big toe, devoid of nails, and four ordinary toes. Thanks to their tenacious front paws, koalas easily cling to tree branches and in this position they dine, rest and even sleep.
Does a koala have a tail? Yes, there is, but only the koala's tail is so short that it is practically invisible under the fur.
Where do koalas live?
All koalas, as well as the entire family of marsupials in general, live on only one continent - Australia.
History of the discovery of koalas
Interestingly, the discoverer of Australia, the famous English navigator James Cook, never discovered koalas, despite the fact that there were plenty of koalas at his landing site. Well, Captain Cook was just unlucky to meet them. And the first European to see these unique animals with his own eyes was the English naval officer Barallier. In 1820, he sent the body of a dead koala to the governor of New South Wales, and a year later a live koala was caught for the first time. Since then, this unique animal has become the subject of passion and research of many European zoologists.
How long do koalas live?
The lifespan of a koala in the wild is 13-18 years.
What does a koala eat?
What do koalas eat? All of them are herbivorous vegetarians, and their main source of food is shoots and eucalyptus. Interestingly, koalas have practically no food competitors, since eucalyptus leaves, which contain little protein and also contain hydrocyanic acid, are not interesting for other herbivores. But even among eucalyptus trees, not all leaves and shoots are suitable for food for koalas; thanks to their well-developed sense of smell, they are able to select the least toxic among them. In general, according to zoologists, koalas eat only 120 species of eucalyptus out of 800 found in nature.
A koala eats from 0.5 to 1.1 kg of leaves per day, and this is relatively little, but since all koalas are phlegmatic and inactive, this is enough for them. Also, sometimes they can eat ordinary soil, thus they compensate for the lack of certain minerals in the body.
As for the name of the koala - “non-drinker”, to some extent it is justified, since all marsupials consume very little moisture; koalas usually need morning dew that settles on the leaves and the moisture present in eucalyptus leaves to quench their thirst . But during periods of illness or drought, koalas can drink water from various fresh sources, as all other animals do.
Koala lifestyle
All koalas are nocturnal; during the day they sleep peacefully on branches, and at night they climb these same branches in search of food. In general, these are very calm, good-natured, phlegmatic animals, leading a solitary, one might even say hermit, life. Koalas unite only for reproduction, and so they prefer to live separately, each koala has its own territory, and if the boundaries of this territory are violated by another koala, then the peacefulness of the koala can be replaced by aggressive behavior.
But koalas are usually friendly to people and are easily tamed. Now in Australia there are many koala nurseries where you can easily pet a koala, even pick it up.
Koala's enemies
In natural conditions, koalas have practically no enemies, since even wild dogs, dingoes, these Australian predators generally avoid koalas because of their bright eucalyptus scent. But human activity has had a very detrimental effect on their population; recently, roads are increasingly cutting through Australian eucalyptus forests, the patrimony of koalas, and often clumsy and slow koalas die under the wheels of cars.
Types of koalas
In fact, koalas are represented by only one species, this is the common koala, Australian, and it is described in our article.
Koala breeding
The mating season for koalas begins in October and lasts until February. During this period, female koalas begin to select their love partners. The larger the male koala, and the louder he is able to scream, the more attractive he will be to females. It is also very interesting that among koalas there are many times fewer males than females, there are simply fewer of them born, and as a result, one male usually fertilizes from three to five females per season.
The pregnancy of a female koala lasts 30-35 days, after which a single cub is born; in very rare cases, twins can be born. Also, pregnancy in a female koala can only happen once every two years. Small koalas are born naked, hairless, and at first are under the close care of their mother, drink breast milk and sit in a pouch like cubs.
Having matured a little, little koalas begin to climb onto the mother’s scruff, clinging to the fur. After a year, they become ready for adult life, but they remain close to their mother until they are two or three years old. Only after reaching sexual maturity, in the second or third year of life, do they leave their mother forever to become independent adult koalas.
Despite its peaceful nature, keeping a koala at home is not the best idea; more precisely, it is simply absolutely not possible due to the feeding habits of these animals. As we wrote above, koalas eat leaves and shoots of eucalyptus trees, but, unfortunately, they are not able to digest other food. But even among eucalyptus leaves, picky koalas eat only 120 varieties out of 800, and you won’t be able to determine exactly which leaves are suitable for koalas and which are not. For this reason, koalas can live exclusively in their natural territory in eucalyptus forests.
- The male koala has a forked penis, while the female has two vaginas and, accordingly, two uteruses. However, one should not be surprised, since a similar structure of the genital organs is characteristic of all animals of the marsupial family.
- The koala is one of the rare mammals that has unique patterns on the pads of its toes. Apart from koalas, only a few people have this, and of course, humans.
- The koala has a very slow metabolism, a metabolism that determines its natural slowness. In this it is surpassed only by the even slower one, about which there is also an interesting article on our website.
Koala video
And finally, an interesting documentary about koalas.
This article is available in English - .
34-24 million years ago, when, judging by fossil remains, there were at least 18 species of marsupial bears. Among them there was such a giant as the Queensland koala Koalemus, which weighed half a ton. Modern koala Phascolarctos cinereus, presumably appeared 15 million years ago.
The koala went unnoticed by James Cook's expedition, which discovered the east coast of Australia in 1770. The first mention of it is found in the report of John Price, a servant of the Governor of New South Wales, John Hunter, on a trip to the Blue Mountains in 1798. Price writes that in the Blue Mountains there is an animal called kullavain, similar in appearance to a sloth. The koala was discovered for science in 1802 by naval officer Barralier, who discovered the remains of a koala among the aborigines and sent the animal’s limbs preserved in alcohol to the Governor of New South Wales, King. In June 1803, a live koala was captured south of Sydney, and the Sydney Gazette published a detailed description of it on 21 August. However, the koala did not receive a scientific name until 1816, when the French zoologist Blainville gave it a generic name Phascolarctos- from Greek. phaskolos"leather bag" and arktos"bear". Species name cinereus The (ash) beast received for the color of its fur.
For about half a century, the koala was only found within New South Wales. It was encountered in Victoria in 1855 by naturalist William Blandowski and in south-eastern Queensland in 1923 by O. Thomas. Recently, the koala inhabited South Australia, but was completely exterminated here at the beginning of the 20th century. The koala is not preserved in Western Australia, although Quaternary remains indicate that it was found here too.
Appearance
The koala is a medium-sized animal with a dense build: its body length is 60-82 cm; weight from 5 to 16 kg. The tail is very short and invisible from the outside. The head is large and wide, with a flattened “face”. The ears are large, rounded, covered with thick fur. The eyes are small. The bridge of the nose is hairless and black. There are cheek pouches.
The koala's hair is thick, soft, and durable; on the back the color varies from light gray to dark gray, sometimes reddish or reddish, the belly is lighter.
The koala's limbs are adapted for climbing - the thumb and forefinger of the forelimbs and limbs are opposed to the rest, which allows the animal to grasp tree branches. The claws are strong and sharp, capable of supporting the weight of the animal. There is no claw on the big toe of the hind limbs. Koalas are one of the few non-primate animals to have a papillary pattern on their toe pads. Koala fingerprints are indistinguishable from human fingerprints even under an electron microscope.
The brood pouch in females is well developed and opens at the back; There are two nipples inside.
Koalas are usually silent and only vocalize during the breeding season or when in danger. The calling cry of the male is described as “something between the snoring of a fat drunkard, the creaking of a door on rusty hinges and the grumbling of a dissatisfied pig.” A frightened or injured koala screams and “cries” like a child.
The size and color of this animal varies depending on where it lives. Thus, the koalas of Victoria are larger and heavier, they have thicker and denser fur of a dark gray color, often with a brownish tint on the back. In tropical and subtropical Queensland, koalas are much smaller and lighter in color, with less and shorter fur.
The appearance of the koala is a bit like a bear (hence its name - marsupial bear); and the vestigial tail, the location of the brood pouch and the dental formula bring it closer to wombats, with which it apparently had a common ancestor.
Spreading
Koalas are found in eastern Australia - from Adelaide in the south to Cape York Peninsula in the north. The koalas of South Australia were exterminated already in historical times - in the 20s of the 20th century, but this state was again populated by individuals from the state of Victoria.
Lifestyle and nutrition
Koala with baby
Koala eats eucalyptus leaves
The koala's metabolic rate is almost half that of most mammals (with the exception of wombats and sloths), which helps it compensate for the low nutritional value of its diet. A koala requires from 0.5 to 1.1 kg of leaves per day, which it carefully crushes and chews, accumulating the resulting mass in its cheek pouches. Like all mammals that feed on fibrous plant foods, koalas have a rich microflora in their digestive tract, including bacteria that convert indigestible cellulose into digestible compounds. The cecum, where the digestion process takes place, is extremely developed, reaching a length of 2.4 m. Toxic substances, entering the blood, are neutralized in the liver.
Social structure and reproduction
Baby Koala
Female koalas lead a solitary lifestyle and stick to their own areas, which they rarely leave. In fertile areas, the sites of individual individuals often overlap each other. Males are not territorial, but even less sociable - when they meet, especially during the breeding season, they often attack each other, causing injury.
Only during the breeding season, which lasts from October to February, koalas gather in groups consisting of an adult male and several females. At this time, males often rub their chests against trees, leaving odorous marks, and emit loud calling calls, sometimes heard a kilometer away. Since fewer males are born than females, harems of 2-5 females gather around male koalas during the mating season. Mating takes place on a tree (not necessarily eucalyptus).
Pregnancy lasts 30-35 days. There is only one cub in the litter, which at birth are only 15-18 mm long and weigh about 5.5 g; occasionally twins. The cub remains in the pouch for 6 months, feeding on milk, and then “travels” for another six months on the mother’s back or stomach, clinging to her fur. At 30 weeks of age, he begins to eat his mother’s semi-liquid excrement, consisting of a kind of gruel from semi-digested eucalyptus leaves - in this way microorganisms necessary for the digestive process enter the digestive tract of young koalas. The mother excretes this pulp for about a month. At the age of one year, the cubs become independent - young females at the age of 12-18 months go in search of sites, but males often remain with their mothers until they are 2-3 years old.
Koalas breed once every 1-2 years. Sexual maturity in females occurs at 2-3 years, in males at 3-4 years. On average, a koala lives 12-13 years, although there are cases where they live up to 20 years of age.
Population status and conservation
Before the arrival of Europeans, the main causes of mortality for koalas were epizootics, droughts and fires. In the 19th and 20th centuries, the koala became an object of hunting because of its thick fur. In 1924 alone, 2 million pelts were exported from the eastern states. The sharp decline in the number of this animal forced the Australian government to first limit and in 1927 ban koala hunting, but only by -1954 did their population begin to gradually recover. Although the koala has been given the status lower risk(low risk), they remain threatened by fires, eucalyptus deforestation, and ticks introduced to Australia from Japan and Indonesia. In Australia, koala parks have been created: Lone Pine Koala near Sydney and Kounu Koala Park near Perth.
Notes
Media
Koala jumping from tree to tree
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.
See what “Marsupial bears” are in other dictionaries:
marsupial bears- koalos statusas T sritis zoologija | vardynas taksono rangas gentis apibrėžtis Gentyje 1 rūšis. Paplitimo arealas – R. Australija. atitikmenys: lot. Phascolarctos engl. koala bears; koalas; native bears vok. Beutelbären; Koalas rus. koala;... ... Žinduolių pavadinimų žodynas
The koala is a marsupial animal of the infraclass Marsupial family, family and genus Koala. Scientists still have not fully figured out what kind of animal the koala is: a bear, a raccoon, or something else. The koala, or Australian bear, is the only animal that eats only eucalyptus leaves.
What does a marsupial bear look like?
Few people have seen a koala live, but many have seen videos and photographs of this animal. A koala actually looks a bit like a bear cub. For example, a koala's tail is the same as a bear's - small, which is practically invisible on the body. However, it cannot be confused with any other living being.
The koala is a rather small animal: for example, the weight of a marsupial bear is from seven to twelve kilograms. Typically, a koala's fur is short but thick and gray in color. The animal has lighter fur on its abdomen. Koalas have small eyes, but large ears and nose. The claws on the paws are sharp and long. Marsupial bears need them in order to easily move through trees.
Koala habitats
The koala is a marsupial, and it lives, of course, in Australia, as well as on neighboring islands (except Tasmania). Marsupial bears choose places closer to water, since tropical forests are located there - the traditional habitat of koalas. Marsupial bears live in the south, east and slightly north of mainland Australia.
The photographer caught a rare moment when a koala decided to “get its throat wet” in a country pool. The koala lives in humid subtropical, tropical and subequatorial forests, where a lot of eucalyptus grows - the koala's only source of nutrition.
About the diet of marsupial bears
The koala eats only eucalyptus, despite the fact that this plant contains hydrocyanic acid, which is poisonous to animals. The fact is that this animal is less susceptible to its action. Moreover, nature even came up with a kind of protection for them: in different seasons of the year, koalas feed on different types of eucalyptus (at certain times, these types of eucalyptus contain less hydrocyanic acid than others). However, sometimes a koala can still be poisoned by eucalyptus leaves.
Contrary to popular belief that koalas never drink, these animals, although not often, find sources of water and drink it.
Koala breeding
Koalas, which always live alone, gather in groups only during the breeding season. Most often, such a group consists of one male and two to five (and sometimes more) females. Koalas mate in trees. Koalas breed once a year or once every two years.
Pregnancy in marsupial bears lasts about a month. Usually only one baby is born, about 1.5 cm long and weighing no more than 6 g. Since the koala is a marsupial, the pouch is used for quite a long time when carrying a child - about six months. At 30 weeks, when the cub has grown a little, he can already eat the liquid excrement of his parents (this is necessary, since it contains the necessary substances for normal digestion). After some time, the koalas grow up completely and begin to live their own lives.
Features of koalas
What's so special about the marsupial bear? He has many interesting abilities and differences from other living beings.
The koala is endemic to Australia. In other words, the koala does not live except in Australia and neighboring islands, only in zoos. In addition, due to its ability to exclusively climb trees and feed on eucalyptus, the marsupial bear is slow and quite calm.
Another interesting feature of koalas is that they give birth to very small cubs, having a much larger body size and weight. It's amazing that eight-kilogram parents can give birth to children the size of a bean grain!
Enemies of koalas
The koala is an amazing animal: in nature they have no enemies! Why did this happen? There are several reasons for this.
Firstly, marsupial bears are found in Australia and live in trees, but on this continent there are no arboreal predators that can harm koalas. Secondly, the koala feeds exclusively on eucalyptus leaves, which are not harmful to the animal, but can be dangerous to other animals that want to eat the marsupial bear.
What are the benefits and harms of koalas?
The koala is a very good-natured creature that can both help and harm a person.
The main benefit of koalas is that many children, and sometimes adults, love them in zoos. Scientists often conduct experiments on these animals. Thanks to this, charming creatures are protected by law from shooting and poaching for their valuable fur.
Unfortunately, koalas can also harm people. When there are too many marsupial bears and they don’t have enough food, they are able to move closer to people’s homes and even cause accidents. Despite this, the koala is a very interesting animal that has not yet been fully studied by scientists.
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This is a marsupial mammal of the infraclass Marsupial family, as well as the genus Koala. Experts still do not understand what kind of animal the koala is: a bear, a raccoon, or someone else. The koala, or in other words the bear from Australia, is a one-of-a-kind animal whose diet consists of one thing, namely eucalyptus leaves.
Appearance and description of the koala
Few people can boast of having observed a marsupial bear in person, but many have followed it via video or photographs. After all, the koala really resembles in its appearance a small and clumsy bear cub. For example, its tail is presented in the same form as that of a bear - just as small, it is almost invisible on the body of the animal. Despite this, the koala simply cannot be confused with any other species of animal. The appearance of this animal is quite unusual and memorable..
The koala is a small animal. The weight of this animal can vary from seven to twelve kilograms. Thus, the animal’s fur looks thick and short, and the color is grayish. In the abdominal area the animal has light-colored hair. The animal's eyes are quite small compared to the shape of the head itself, and the ears and nose are large. The claws on the animal's paws are long and sharp. The koala's claws are mainly used to easily climb trees and cling to trunks and branches.
Where does the koala live?
The koala is almost motionless for 18-20 hours. During this period of time, the animal usually firmly grabs tree branches with its paws, dozes or crawls along tree trunks to find a new portion of fresh foliage. The animal is also capable of chewing leaves, which it places in the inner cheek area during feeding.
The animal jumps from tree to tree with one goal: to find new food or to hide from its pursuers. Another unusual skill of the marsupial bear is its ability to swim well in water. The slowness of koalas is based on their diet, as it includes too little protein. In addition to all this, koalas have a low metabolic rate; it is several times slower than that of other mammals.
It happens that in order to replenish the supply of useful microelements in the body, koalas have to eat earth.
Raising a marsupial bear at home is almost impossible, since there will simply be nothing to feed it. In the southern part of the country, for example, in Sochi, there are eucalyptus trees, but such varieties that koalas could eat are not found there.
How do individuals reproduce?
The main features of a koala
What special features does this marsupial bear have? In fact, the koala has many distinctive features and also has skills that other animals do not have.
Koala is endemic to Australia. In more detail, the marsupial bear is a living creature that does not live anywhere else except in Australia, only in the zoo. In addition, due to its lifestyle and ability to climb trees and eat only eucalyptus, the animal is quite calm and slow.
Another unusual feature of koalas is that they give birth to very small babies, although they themselves are large in size and weight. Isn't it unusual that parents who weigh 8 kilograms can produce a baby the size of a small pea grain!
The main opponents of the marsupial bear cub
The koala is an unusual species of animal; in the wild, the bear has no special enemies. Why is this happening? There are several explanations for this.
The main reason is the animal’s place of residence. Marsupial bears live in Australia mainly in tall trees, but on this continent there are no arboreal types of predators that could start hunting the animal. The second reason is the nutrition of the marsupial bear. So, animals eat only eucalyptus leaves, which contain poison. This poison is absolutely harmless to the koala itself, but can harm the health and even life of those animals that want to eat the marsupial bear.
Main benefits and harms
The koala is considered a friendly and cute animal that can easily either benefit humans or significantly harm them.
The main advantage of the koala is that on the territory of the zoo it is loved by a large number of small children, as well as adults. At the same time, many scientists perform a large number of experiments on this animal. That is why cute animals are protected by law from hunting by poachers and illegal shooting for the sake of obtaining valuable fur.
Unfortunately, these creatures can also cause harm to humans. At a time when there are too many koalas in one area of residence, and food begins to run out over time, these animals move to places where people live and live. As a result a small animal can even cause an accident. Despite all this, the koala remains an unusual and interesting animal that experts have not yet fully studied.
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Koalas are marsupials that live in Australia. The name of this unique species in its family comes from the Darak word “gulawan” or “gula”, which gradually became “koola”. One of the assumptions for the translation of this term is: “the one who does not drink.” The species term "cinereus" is Latin for "ashen" and has been in use for about two centuries.
English-speaking settlers at the end of the 18th century began to call these animals koala bears ("koala bear"), since in appearance they look a little like small bear cubs. This name has spread beyond Australia, but it does not correspond to reality - koalas are not related to bears.
The koala's closest relative is the koala, which it resembles in appearance, but is distinguished by thicker gray fur (it is soft, 2-3 cm thick), large ears and long paws. The koala also has large, sharp claws, which are necessary for moving through trees. The weight of adult individuals ranges from 5 kg for a small northern female and up to 14 kg for large southern males.
The animal's paws are well adapted for climbing. On the hands of the front paws there are two “big” toes with two phalanges, which are set aside, and three ordinary toes with three phalanges. All fingers have strong claws. Thanks to such devices, koalas can hold onto the trunk with one paw and even sleep in this position.
The koala's diet consists exclusively of eucalyptus shoots and leaves. They are fibrous, contain little protein, but many substances of phenolic and terpene nature, which are poisonous to other animals. Young shoots, especially in autumn, also contain hydrocyanic acid - a poison, a drop of which kills a sheep. This is why the koala has virtually no food competition, and the animal can afford to be slow.
To avoid poisoning, the koala chooses for food those types of eucalyptus that contain the least amount of phenolic substances, choose trees that grow on fertile soil, along river banks, in which the concentration of toxic compounds is always low. Of the 800 known species of eucalyptus, koalas eat about 120 species. They select them using their developed sense of smell.
The slow metabolism in the koala's body (twice slower than that of other mammals) compensates for the low nutritional value of the food. The koala eats 0.5-1.1 kg of leaves per day, crushing and chewing them well, and storing this mass in its cheek pouches. All toxic substances from the animal’s blood enter the liver, where they are neutralized.
The koala also receives the necessary moisture from the foliage of eucalyptus and from the dew on it. The animal drinks water only if it is sick or during a drought. To compensate for the deficiency of minerals, it sometimes eats soil.
Koalas are common in coastal areas of eastern and southern Australia, from Adelaide in the north to the south of Cape York Peninsula. At the beginning of the 20th century, they were introduced to the west of the continent, and to the islands near Queensland (Kangaroo Island and Magnetic Island). The area of the current range of this species reaches 1,000,000 km².
Sexual dimorphism in the koala is practically not expressed. Sometimes males can exceed females in size.
Koalas live in eucalyptus forests and spend most of their lives in the canopy. During the day, animals sleep among the branches, and at night they climb trees in search of food. Even when the koala is not sleeping, he is able to sit absolutely motionless for a long time, holding onto a branch or tree trunk with his paws. In general, a koala spends 16 to 18 hours a day without moving. It is difficult for the animal to move on the ground, so it only descends to move to a new tree if it cannot jump over it. The koala makes such jumps from tree to tree quite deftly and confidently. And this slow and phlegmatic animal is even capable of running away from danger at an energetic gallop. Can swim.
The koala is a silent animal, but during the mating season the males emit loud calling calls that can be heard within a kilometer radius. The female chooses her partner precisely by this calling cry, and usually gives preference to the larger male. Frightened or injured koalas also make loud cries that sound like a baby crying.
Female koalas are characterized by a solitary lifestyle; they live in their own areas and rarely leave them. Sometimes the territories of individual individuals overlap if there is enough food on them. For males, pronounced territoriality is not typical, but they are unsociable, and if they meet, they usually get into fights.
Only during the mating season, from October to February, koalas form groups that consist of an adult male and a pair of females. Males begin to rub their chests against trees, leave scent marks on them and scream loudly to attract females. Since there are fewer male koalas than females, they collect harems of 2-5 females.
The duration of pregnancy is 30-35 days. One baby is born, with a body length of 15-18 mm and a weight of up to 5.5 g. For about six months it remains in the mother’s pouch, feeds on milk, and then “travels” for the same amount of time on the mother’s back or belly, clinging to her fur. At 30 weeks of age, the young koala eats its mother's semi-liquid excrement. They contain semi-digested eucalyptus leaves, and this provides the baby with the microorganisms necessary for the digestive process. At one year, the cub begins to live independently, young females at 12-18 months go in search of their areas, and males remain with their mother until 2-3 years.
Koalas reproduce once every 1-2 years. Females become sexually mature at 2-3 years, males at 3-4 years. The average lifespan of a koala is 12-13 years, sometimes reaching 18-20 years.
Natural population regulators are unknown for the koala - they are not hunted by Australian predators, and only dingoes and feral dogs occasionally attack. But these animals are prone to diseases: cystitis, periostitis of the skull, conjunctivitis, sinusitis, pneumonia. All of these diseases lead to population decline, and were the main cause of this process before the arrival of Europeans.
In the 19th and 20th centuries, koalas became a target for hunting due to their thick fur. Very trusting and slow, they became easy prey, and their numbers declined sharply. Therefore, by the mid-20th century, koala hunting in Australia was completely banned and the population began to recover. Currently, fires, deforestation of eucalyptus forests, and ticks remain threats to the species.
In Australia there are koala parks, and even a special hospital for koalas, where injured animals are treated.
- James Cook's expedition, which discovered the east coast of Australia at the end of the 18th century, did not encounter koalas. The animal was first mentioned in the reports of John Price, who made a trip to the Blue Mountains in 1798. He described a species of "kullawain" that looked like a sloth. Koalas were officially discovered several years later, when several individuals were caught and studied in detail. Their similarity to wombats, anatomical characteristics and habitat were determined.
- Koalas are one of the few mammals other than primates to have a papillary pattern on their fingertips. Koala fingerprints resemble human fingerprints and are difficult to distinguish even with an electron microscope.
