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Eucalyptus leaves are tough and indigestible to all but koalas.

To make the transition from mothers' milk to eucalyptus leaves, at about 6-7 months the joey begins to feed on "pap", which is actually a special form of the mother's droppings through which she can pass onto her joey the micro organisms which allow for digestion of eucalyptus leaves. No other animal lives solely on gum leaves, and special proteins are needed to digest them.

One of the reasons the koala has a backward-opening pouch is so that the joey can stick its head out and feed on this pap which comes from the mother's own digestive system.

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15y ago

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