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Koalas
Native to Australia and exclusive to the eucalypt forests of Eastern and South-Eastern Australia, there are only three subspecies of Koala. Solitary animals, Koalas sleep as long as long as 18 hours a day and have a low-energy diet of eucalyptus leaves.
1,608 Questions
What the biggest fear of a koala?
Koalas are no more afraid of fire than any other wild animal is, but they sense its destructive force. Bushfires in Australia have the capacity to wipe out thousands of square kilometres of prime bushland, in which koalas live. These fires move rapidly, and the tops, or crowns, of the eucalyptus trees in which koalas shelter and find food literally explode with the flames as the eucalyptus oil inside reaches boiling point.
What is the group of mammals called that kangaroos and koalas belong to?
Koalas, kangaroos, and opossums are marsupials.
How many eggs can a koala eat?
None, because Koalas eat the leaves of Eucalyptus (gum) trees, they don't eat eggs.
What do you call someone who studies koala bears?
Firstly, koalas are not bears.
There is no particular name for someone who studies koalas.
People who study the field of animal biology are zoologists. While there are specialised areas within this broad parameter (such as ornithologists, who study birds), there is no particular name for one who studies koalas. It is too narrow a field.
There are few natural predators of the koala. Young koalas are vulnerable to owls or pythons. These attacks rare and are insignificant compared to the human related threats and impacts. The main predation of koalas these days comes from introduced feral animals like the fox and from domestic pets. Dogs in suburban areas are particularly dangerous, attacking and killing koalas.
Goannas, dingoes, powerful owls, wedge-tailed eagles and other birds of prey, pythons, and foxes all eat koalas, particularly young ones.
The quoll is the only native carnivorous mammal capable of climbing trees to get to koalas. However, a quoll will not take on an adult koala; nor will it challenge a mother koala for a joey carried on her back.
No
A koala is a mammal and has fur
- a bird has feathers.
Can eucalyptus leaves be smoked?
As far as i know, yes, it is used in some brands of smoking blends. Though I do know that eucalyptus can be toxic to humans in large enough doses, so make sure you know the exact detail before you try to do so.
Koalas are not dumb, as the correct meaning for "dumb" is to be unable to make any vocalisation. Koalas are, in fact, capable of very loud noises.
As for their intelligence - they have as much intelligence as they need to survive in their habitat.
Why are koalas endangered now in 2011?
The conservation status of koalas varies from region to region in Australia, but in no state are they legislated as "endangered".
Due to farming and land clearing, native koalas were eradicated from Western Australia and South Australia in the last century, but moves have been made to reestablish new colonies in both states. Currently, koalas are thriving on Kangaroo Island in SA, and in other isolated colonies.
Koalas are still listed as "common" in most parts of Queensland, but there are calls to list them as vulnerable in southeast Queensland, where koala numbers have dropped by about 60% in the last decade.
The NSW Government listed the koala as "rare and vulnerable" in 1992, and following protective measures which have seen koala populations regenerate, this has been changed to "vulnerable". The koala is, however, all but gone from the NSW central coast.
In Victoria, the koala is not on the threatened species list at all, and in some protected and remote regions, there is actually an overpopulation problem. They are considered to be "secure" in Victoria.
The chief threat to the koala is habitat loss. Koalas inhabit prime land which man has decided is better used for housing developments. Not only do the koalas lose their sources of shelter and food, they are subject to dog attacks and being hit by cars as suburbia extends further outwards. A prime example of this is southeast Queensland, where koala numbers have dropped to 60% less than what they were a decade ago, entirely due to increased development - and where they now face extinction by 2020.
Koalas are territorial, and they live in complex social communities where each member has a certain number of trees within its territory. When access to these trees is cut off by new roads, the koalas will still try to cross the road, and risk being hit. Relocation of koalas is rarely successful because their territorial and social habits are largely misunderstood.
Another significant factor is predation by introduced species such as dogs and foxes. Dogs have the instinct to hunt and kill these defenceless creatures, and a great deal of damage is done by such unsupervised pets.
Koalas are also subject to the disease chlamydia, which affects the koalas' fertility, and eventually leads to their death. Currently, there is no cure for this disease. At the best of times, the koala is a slow breeder, usually producing just one joey a year.
Do koalas have a captive breeding program?
Given the right environment, a koala can reproduce in captivity.
Koalas are not kept as pets anywhere in the world. Koalas that are kept in captivity are in secure sanctuaries or zoos where they have the right sort of eucalyptus trees for their needs. As long as there is not too much stress for them, they can certainly reproduce.
How does a koala affect plants?
Koalas have little to no effect on the plants in their environment. They eat eucalyptus leaves and blossoms, but this action does nothing to help disperse the seeds. At most, their claws scratch the bark of the trees they climb, but this does not affect the plant for good or for bad.
How large are the koalas' litters?
The home range of a koala may be as small as 0.01 square kilometres in thickly-bushed areas of Victoria. In central Queensland, however, the koalas' home ranges have been found to average 1.35 sq km for males and one sq km for females. Within this area, which overlaps with the home range of other koalas, each koala will regularly move from tree to tree, in search of food.
What are some solutions to prevent animals becoming extinct?
There are, in fact, many ways you can help animals if you just look around for good opportunities. What specific animal do you like and are interested in? Ask around, and you should find some great opportunities. Your question impresses me! I'm glad you care so much about animals.
How do koalas cope with the climate?
Koalas are specially adapted to the temperate climate. This is where their favoured subgenus of eucalyptus trees, Symphyomyrphus, are found. These trees meet all their needs of food, shelter and moisture.
Koalas have dense, waterproof fur which protects them from wet, tropical storms in the north, and cold winters in the south.
Does a koala have an exoskeleton or an endoskeleton?
No, koalas are mammals, so have an internal skeleton.
Mostly,snakes are "friends," if you are referring to humans. There are many venomous snakes, and they have caused human deaths. However, ecologically, theyhelp us by reducing the number of vermin (such as mice, rats, etc.) and in that way they help people. A bull snake, for example, may live near a barn, and prevent mice from ruining the hay. Most snakes are not venomous; and among those that are, they generally will not bite a human unless threatened or provoked.Some snakes will bite just to protect themselves and their eggs.
How many years does a joey take to change to a koala?
From the time the koala joey is conceived, it is always a koala.
If the question means how long does it take to become an adult, koala joeys generally leave their mother by the next year's breeding season, when they are twelve months old. They are not considered mature until they reach reproductve age, which occurs from 2-3 years old.
Koalas are not bears, they are marsupials. However, despite not being even remotely related to bears, koalas do make harsh growling or grunting sounds when they are engaged in territorial disputes. They are also known to make loud bellows, snore-like grunts, snorts and wails.
Contrary to popular belief, koalas are quite quick once they are on the move. They can move at a good speed for short distances along the ground, although not quickly enough to evade dogs. There is no information available on the speed a koala can actually run.
They have also been observed running reasonably quickly along the road, almost too fast for well-meaning humans to catch up to them and move them out of harm's way.
Koalas can shinny up trees very quickly and efficiently when threatened.
How long do young koalas stay with the parents?
The mate once per mating season. They breed from September to February. Females breed from 2 years of age, and males from 3-4 years after they have established their own territory. Males are extremely aggressive during mating periods. Thirty-five days after mating, the female produces one joey weighing about 0.5 grams and about 2 cm long.
Do koalas live in the outback?
No. Koalas are indigenous to Australia and live in tropical to temperate eucalypt forest and woodlands and can be found along the eastern and south-eastern coastal regions. They live in eucalyptus trees and are mostly nocturnal and eat certain types of eucalypt leaves exclusively.
How long does a joey have access to the pouch?
Joeys are the generic name for the young of any marsupial. Marsupials are characterised by giving birth to very undeveloped young, unlike placental mammals. The joeys are blind, hairless and must stay attached to their mother's teat for several months while they continue the development that placental mammals have in the womb.
Depending on the species, joeys may stay in the pouch for a few weeks or a few months. the larger marsupials keep their young in the pouch for longer.
Some examples:
- Koala joeys stay in the pouch for 6-7 months.
- For the animals most commonly recognised as kangaroos (e.g. Red kangaroos and Grey kangaroos), the average amount of time the baby kangaroo, or joey, stays in the pouch is about 7 - 8 months.
- The antechinus may keep its joeys in the pouch for only five weeks.
- Sugar gliders joesy stay in the pouch for around 3 months.
The joeys tend to maintain access to the pouch for another month or so after they have emerged.
