Koalas

to conserve water

A kangaroo's tail is very strong. It plays a vital role in balancing the animal, both when it is bounding along, and when it is just walking slowly. A kangaroo will sometimes balance briefly on its tail while it kicks out with its hind legs: this is an effective defence behaviour.

Not usually. Koalas generally have a range of home trees extending up to 1 square kilometre, and these home ranges overlap with those of other koalas. Their only difficulty is when a road or development is built through the centre of their home range, blocking access to the other trees. When this happens, the koala may try to reach its usual trees, or it may find alternatives.

The first thing that you can do to help save the Koala is learn about them. Spread the word to others about the need to help save them. Write letters protesting destruction of their habitat. Do not support companies that invade the Koala habitat.

It is not certain how koalas have come to be infected with Chlamydia. The most recent research has suggested that it originated from amphibians such as frogs.

Adult koalas eat eucalytus leaves. Juveniles or joeys drink only milk at first and then they consume milk and what is called pap. It is a substance produced by the mother that gives the joey the microbes it needs to digest eucalyptus leaves. Joeys consume milk and eucalyptus leaves until they are weaned at about one year old.

Aha... koalas might look cute but they're aggressive, but if you raise a young koala and it is always bonded with humans it can be a friendly mini bear :D

But if you see a wild koala stay away!

G'day, mate! They all come from Australia!

After the young koala grows too big for its mother's pouch, it is still dependent upon its mother for several months, and not able to look after itself in the arboreal habitat in which it lives. It clings to its mother's back for security and while it is still learning how to survive on its own.

Few animals eat the koala. Unsupervised dogs frequently kill koalas, but they do not eat them.

Dingoes will eat koalas, and Birds of Prey may try to take koala joeys. Quolls may even attempt to eat a young joey if it is not secure in its mother's pouch.

Listening for danger and possibly keeping cool in that hot climate

A koala is a mammal; specifically, a marsupial.

Koalas are nocturnal, meaning they usually come out at night. However, they can certainly be seen during the day as they move between trees in their home range. Early mornings are one of the times they are most active.

It is not known how many koalas there were in 1900, but at this stage, they were very close to extinction. Demand from the US and the UK for koala fur meant that hunters were decimating these animals, just for their pelts. It was only when the Austalian government brought in legislation to protect the koala that numbs began to rise again.

• Kangaroos are able to travel long distances at a high speed, expending very little energy. They are very energy-efficient, and this is linked directly to the physical action of bringing their hind legs up with each hop. Every hop literally refills the lungs. This means they can outrun their enemies.
• Kangaroos have large, strong tendons in their hind legs which act as "springs". The springing motion requires less energy than running does, so kangaroos are able to bound for longer distances than other mammals with the standard four legs can run. They have strong back legs and elongated hind feet for bounding.

On average, female koalas of reproductive age give birth once a year, or once every two years.

The weight of a koala joey is dependent upon its age. When first born, a koala joey weighs 0.5 grams. By the time the young koala is 13 weeks old, it weighs an average of 50 grams.

As it grows, its weight naturally increases until, as an adult, a northern-dwelling male koala weighs up to 9kg (female 7.5kg) and a southern male koala up to 15 kg (females 9 kg).

The Aboriginal people used them as a source of meat. Various animals including dingos, dogs, foxes and cats will also take them when possible and smaller koalas can be taken by snakes, and larger birds such as eagles, hawks, kites and falcons, etc.

During the late 1800s, koalas became an export commodity for their fur, mostly for export to the USA. Due to koala numbers dwindling and public outrage, laws were enacted protecting the koala and imports were banned by the USA in the late 1920s.

Their greatest threat is humans destroying their habitat.

The koala is not extinct, it is not even endangered. They are considered to be "Secure".

When it is 4 weeks old you can gradually introduce solid food. When it is 8 week old, it should be off mums milk and fully weaned.

firstly koalas are not bears. Their main diet are the leaves of eucalyptus trees so unless eucalyptus trees are abundant then the answer would be no. But a small number kept in a zoo with enough of their favourite food would survive.

Koalas live in eucalyptus trees and eat only a few types of gum leaves from which they get all nutrients and water requirements. Eucalyptus leaves are tough, toxic and low in nutrition, but the koala has developed a stomach which is capable of removing the toxins from where they are filtered out by the liver. The caecum completes the process by changing the eucalyptus leaves into digestible nutrients. The caecum is similar to the human appendix.

Koalas must eat over a kilogram of leaves per day to meet their energy requirements. Eucalyptus leaves contain approximately 50% water, 18% fibre, 13% tannins, 8% fat, 5% carbohydrates, 4% protein and 2% minerals. Koalas have been seen in 120 kinds of eucalypt tree including Manna Gum, Swamp Gum, Blue Gum, Forest Red Gum and Grey Gum. However, they are only able to eat from some 60 species of gum trees, and within these sixty, there are just a dozen that they actually prefer above others.

Koalas have very strong claws suitable for gripping trees and climbing. Between their first and second "fingers" is a large gap, which enables them to also grip tree branches comfortably, whilst their hind legs have one toe set at a wide angle. They also have toes with thick pads which enable them to sit comfortably in a tree all day.

As with all marsupials, the koala has a pouch, where the joey stays after birth for up to ten months. When the joey leaves the pouch, it stays for several more months on the back of their mother. The pouch opens backwards. After about 30 weeks, the mother produces a substance called pap. This substance is actually a specialised form of the mother's droppings which, having passed through her digestive system, give the joey the enzymes it needs to be able to start digesting the tough gum leaves, making an easier transition for the baby koala to start eating eucalyptus leaves.