Koalas

Of course koalas have legs. Koalas have four legs, all equipped with very sharp claws. Without legs, they would be unable to walk, climb trees or feed, since they use their front paws to grasp hold of eucalyptus leaves.

Koalas are not "picky eaters". That is a term that can only be applied to human beings who have been spoiled by being allowed to select what they want to eat.

Koalas have no such choice. Their specific physiological adaptations and digestive system enable them as a unique species to survive on eucalyptus leaves, from which they obtain all their nutrients and water requirements. If anything, it should be said that koalas are NOT picky eaters, because they are perfectly happy to eat just one type of food.

Yes. As well as living in the eastern half of mainland Australia, koalas are also found in abundant numbers on Kangaroo Island, off the coast of South Australia. They have been introduced to Kangaroo Island, and because there are no predators on the island, there is now an over-population problem there.

Koalas are an arboreal species, meaning their habitat is actually trees.

Koalas have very strong claws suitable for gripping tall, straight, smooth trees and climbing. The shape and design of their fingers enables them to act like opposable thumbs. 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.

Koalas in the north of Australia are the same species, yet tend to be smaller than those in the southern regions of Australia.

An adult koala from Australia's northern regions can grow to a length of 740 mm and 9 kg in weight for males, and 720 mm and 7.25 kg for females.

Southern koalas may grow to 820 mm and 15 kg for males, and 730 mm and 11 kg for females.

Red kangaroos are uniquely adapted to their environment, and this includes their natural colouring. Male red kangaroos can be a strong brick-red colour or a pale red, which assists them to blend into their semi-arid habitat. It has been observed that, in the eastern part of the range of the red kangaroo, females are likely to be more grey in colour, which camouflages better with the grey-green vegetation. However, elsewhere within their range both males and females tend to be reddish-brown.

to climb very tall trees

There is no such species or sub-species as the "eastern koala".

Koalas vary in height according to whether they are from the north or the southern regions of Australia.

Koalas in northern parts of Australia are smaller, with males growing to a height (or body length) of 74 cm and females growing to 72 cm. Southern koalas are larger. The males can grow to 82 cm and females can grow to 73 cm.

The mother koala has a pouch in which the young are carried (and fed) until they are old enough to gain some independence. Male koalas have nothing to do with their young, however.

Like all marsupials, koala young (joeys) are tiny, blind and hairless at birth, so they are completely helpless. Using instinct and guided by its acute sense of smell, the koala joey makes its way to the pouch where it latches onto a teat. The teat swells in its mouth, securing the joey in the pouch so that it can continue its development while feeding on a continuous supply of mother's milk.

After 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.

Soon after this, the joey emerges from the pouch and spends more months clinging to its mother's back. It only leaves the parent during the next breeding season.

No. Koalas are only found in the eastern states, excluding Tasmania. They have been introduced to southwest Western Australia in protected colonies there.

The majority of kangaroo species are not at all endangered. In some parts of Australia, they are considered a pest and, unfortunately, farmers have successfully lobbied to have them culled. Kangaroo meat products can also be bought at butchers' shops and supermarkets.

Kangaroos are uniquely adapted to survive Australian conditions. The mother kangaroo can be pregnant with one baby while another joey is still in her pouch: that second baby will not emerge from the birth canal until the first joey is fully weaned. This way, the health of both parent and baby is ensured.

There are over 60 species of kangaroo, however, and many of the lesser-known species are endangered, especially those in the wallaby family. Rock-wallabies seem to be most prone to endangerment. But the larger creatures commonly recognised as kangaroos, such as Red kangaroos and Grey kangaroos, remain common and prolific.

Koalas are wild animals. Therefore, they do not do anything "for a living". They sleep for up to 19 hours a day.

When they are not sleeping, they are usually eating or, depending on the season, mating or looking after their young

The koala is sometimees mistakenly called the"koala bear" by people outside of Australia. It is not a bear.

Years ago, in Australia's early days, koalas were sometimes referred to as the "native bear", but this is not a term used in Australia nowadays.

Koalas 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. Koalas have a woolly light to dark grey fur with brown and white patches and a cream belly. They have a broad head with small eyes, large furry ears and a distinctive large black nose. Females has two teats and a rear opening pouch. They spend up to 20 hours per day sleeping and the rest eating.

Koalas spend most of their lives in eucalyptus trees. Of the 300 or so varieties in Australia, there are about 60 species preferred by the koala, and of these, another dozen or so which the koala will favour above others as a food source.

Koalas are certainly known to inhabit other native trees, such as melaleuca and acacia.

And, incidentally, a koala is not a bear.

Koalas are not bears. Koalas have four legs which they use to climb up and down trees. When they are not climbing up and down trees, they are walking from tree to tree looking for more leaves to eat.

Koalas interact daily with eucalyptus trees, as koalas feed on eucalyptus leaves in order to survive. Koalas live in eucalyptus trees and eat only a few types of gum leaves from which they get all nutrients and water requirements. They also occasionally eat the gum tree blossoms. Koalas will not eat all types of eucalyptus, feeding on just 14 species as their primary food source, specifically, the subgenus Symphyomyrphus.

As well as feeding on eucalyptus leaves, koalas must climb trees in order to be safe from ground-dwelling predators. They will climb any tree to escape from danger, but they do tend to have a range of preferred home trees.

No. Koalas and bears are unrelated in any way and have quite separate numbers of chromosomes and incompatible DNA.

Should the two organisms copulate, there would be no offspring produced.

Koalas do not hurt people in any way. Koalas usually avoid people, except when the dire need for water in a bushfire or heatwaves sends them automatically seeking water from people. People, on the other hand, hurt koalas in many ways. They introduce non-native species to destroy the habitat; they clear known koala bushland; they allow their unsupervised dogs to kill koalas and their unsupervised children to shoot them with air gun pellets.

When Australian Aborigines still lived a traditional lifestyle, they were the ones who actively hunted and ate the koala. During the 19th and early 20th centuries, the settlers also hunted the koala. Its soft fur was in great demand, particularly by US clinets. People no longer hunt the koala, as it is a protected native species.

Among the animal kingdom, there are few natural predators (hunters) 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.

Koalas feed almost exclusively on eucalyptus (gum) leaves.

Never. Koalas live almost exclusively on eucalyptus leaves.

A koala is a small marsupial, looking rather like a teddy bear. A male can weigh between 8 and 15 kilograms. It eats between 200 and 500 grams of eucalyptus leaves every day, and rarely drinks water, as it gets enough from the leaves. Their call is a deep grunting bellow that is used to warn other males of its presence.

The male has no particular name, although researchers will call the male a "buck".

You don't.

Only registered wildlife carers may take care of a koala, as only wildlife carers holding a licence have been checked for their knowledge of the koala's unique needs. The everyday person is not permitted to keep a koala, as it will surely die.