Koalas

Generally, yes, koalas are placid and docile. Males do become territorial during the mating season, and they are more aggressive then.

Being born undeveloped, baby koalas are initially pink and hairless. As they begin to develop fur, they take on the colours of the adult. Koalas are usually either grey (the phascolarctos cinereus adustus subspecies and the phascolarctos cinereus victor subspecies) or greyish brown (phascolarctos cinereus cinereus).

Koalas do not build nests, dig burrows or live in tree hollows. Their home is in the branches of gum trees, or eucalyptus trees. They are specially adapted to sit comfortably in gum trees for most of the day.

Just one.

The male has a "bifurcated" or two-pronged penis to accommodate the females' two vaginas.

Size and location...

Kodiak Bears are the largest of the brown bears and they are found in alaska.

Grizzly bears are a little smaller and found in the northwestern North America (US and Canada).

The numbat is a marsupial. It is a small, native termite-eating marsupial found in Western Australia.

Unlike almost all other marsupials, the numbat does not have a pouch.

The Koala (Phascolarctos cinereus) is a marsupial mammal and is indigenous to Australia. Their closest relative is the wombat.

They 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.

The koala must eat over a kilogram of leaves per day to meet its 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 feeding in 120 kinds of eucalypt tree including Manna Gum, Swamp Gum, Blue Gum, Forest Red Gum and Grey Gum.

A platypus is a heterotroph.

There have been no reported deaths as a result of a koala attack. Koalas do not attack; they only defend themselves against threats such as dogs, and they rarely survive attacks from such predators.

The World Series was first played in 1903, not in 1904, and then every year from 1905 until the present day

No. Koalas do not eat fruit. They eat the leaves of eucalyptus trees, as well as gum blossoms. They sometimes feed on bark, in small portions.

The range of koalas has decreased for a number of reasons. 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.

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.

The koala's outlook for the future is uncertain. There are extensive populations still in parts of Queensland, New South Wales and particularly Victoria, and also on Kangaroo Island, off the coast of South Australia. However, unless further protection measures are brought in, these populations are also likely to decline, as many populations through the eastern states have done. Also, there is still no cure in sight for the disease chlamydia, which is decimating wild koala populations.

Koalas have woolly light to dark grey fur with brown and white patches and a cream belly. Mature males have a brown stain on their chest, the result of a gland which produces an orange coloured discharge. This is used to mark the trees the male climbs (and attract females) by rubbing this gland against the base of the tree and the trunk.

Albino koalas have been recorded, but are extremely rare.

Southern koalas tend to have fur that is darker and tending more towards brown than that of koalas found in the northern parts of Australia.

Like many Australian animals koalas are stuck on the continent.

Long ago Australia was not a continent, but actually connected to the rest of the world. Some creatures wandered into the area, after thousands of years the area separated, and became a separate continent.

Yes.

Male koalas will engage in territorial disputes during breeding season.

Koalas are essentially solitary animals but they live in complex social communities where there is a dominant male. Territorial disputes occur (and can be heard at night in suburban areas where koalas may live) when a younger male is trying to assert his dominance.

Koalas have a number of trees in their home range, which may overlap with other koalas' trees, but they can peacefully occupy the same tree within their range.

Apart from that, although they live in communities, they do not have a great deal of interaction with each other, except during breeding season.

Koalas have numerous special adaptations.

They 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 can remove the toxins from where they are filtered out by the liver, whilst maximising the amount of energy the animal derives from the leaves. The caecum, similar to the human appendix except that it is 2 metres in length, then changes the eucalyptus leaves into digestible nutrients.

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. Koalas are one of the few species of mammals which has unique fingerprints, not unlike those of humans.

In order to attract a mate, the male has a scent gland which emits a very strong scent. He also makes unusually loud grunting noises.

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.

Koalas in southern regions have thick, wool-like waterproof fur to keep them warm in cold weather and dry in rain. Koalas in northern regions are smaller, with less dense fur.

Koalas drink water only rarely. They are able to obtain most of their moisture needs from the eucalyptus leaves they eat. They will, however, resort to drinking water during prolonged drought and in heatwaves.

No. Koalas do not, and cannot, eat worms. They live almost exclusively on eucalyptus leaves and flowers.

Essentially, the baby kangaroo uses instinct. When a joey is born, its mother prepares a path for it from the birth canal to the pouch by licking her fur so it lies flat and in the direction the joey must travel. This is actually not to guide the joey so much as to stop it from drying out before it reaches the pouch. The tiny joey uses its claws and front legs to clutch the mother's fur until it reaches the pouch, where it attaches to a teat, staying there for a minimum of two months.

A century ago, koalas were killed for their fur to satisfy the US and UK demand for koala fur. Koalas are now protected by law, and may not be hunted or killed. However, there are always people who kill animals to suit their own sadistic tendencies.

Some do.

The koala's native habitat is eucalyptus bushland. Increasingly, this land is being cleared for housing, which means that man encroaches upon the koala's territory. It is not unusual for people who live in areas bordering bushland to have koalas come into their yard, as koalas move regularly between a range of home trees. In some areas, koalas are constantly at risk of being run over as they seek to cross roads which have cut through their territory.

Man is the biggest threat to the koala's environment, causing loss of food source and 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. Bushfires also pose a threat to these animals.