0
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 are the names of other koala species?
No. There is only one main species of koala (Phascolarctus Cinereus), and some disagreement about whether there are two or three sub-species, or indeed, whether there are any sub-species at all.
According to the Australian Koala Foundation (see link below) the generally accepted sub-species are:
- Phascolarctos Cinereus adustus - Northern Australia/Queensland
- Phascolarctos Cinereus cinereus - Intermediate/New South Wales
- Phascolarctos Cinereus victor - Southern/Victorian
The Southern/Victorian variety has also been introduced into South Australia and small protected areas of Western Australia.
Koalas of the southern varieties are larger than their northern counterparts, while their fur also tends to be thicker, darker and more brown than grey.
What does a koala footprint look like?
A Koala has five toes on each foot. The front feet have two opposable toes, and the back feet have a clawless opposable first toe, and a fused second and third toe.
Do koalas ever run from enemies?
Yes, they do. Koalas spend some time on the ground as they move from tree to tree, and if threatened by an enemy, will run for the nearest tree.
How many babies do the koalas have for each pregnancy?
Koalas usually produce just a single offspring each pregnancy. Twins are very rare.
Is a koala prokaryotic or eukaryotic?
Eukaryotic.
All members of the Kingdom Animalia are eukaryotic.
To begin with, koalas are not bears: they are marsupials.
Because koalas feed on the leaves of just certain species of eucalyptus trees, they are regarded as 'specialist feeders'. This is as opposed to generalist feeders, which have a much wider range of diet.
How could a forest grow on a mountain that is surrounded by a desert?
When horizontal flowing air encounters a mountain, it is forced upward by the mountain slope. It cools as it expands due to the lower air pressure at altitude. Sometimes it cools enough that it can no longer hold the water vapor it contains. The vapor, then, condenses to form clouds, and if enough is present, precipitation.
The essential processes are the physical deflection of the air to higher altitudes and the reduction in air pressure which causes cooling.
What special characteristics help a koala live where it does?
Koalas are found in eucalypt bushlands of Australia. Special characteristics that enable koalas to live where they do include:
- Koalas require 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 a stomach which can remove the toxins from where they are filtered out by the liver. The caecum completes the process by changing the eucalyptus leaves into digestible nutrients.
- Koalas rarely need to drink. They have been known to drink water during times of prolonged or extreme heat, but otherwise they obtain all their moisture requirements from gum leaves.
- Koalas live high in gum trees, and to this end, they have adaptations that enable them to quickly climb these tall, straight, smooth-barked trees, and to remain in the trees. They 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 its 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 stay safe by remaining in trees. They are at their most vulnerable when they are on the ground, moving between their home trees.
How many stomachs do koalas have?
Is a koala a non-ruminant? Yes, non-ruminant means "having one stomach," if thekoala wasn't ruminant, he would have four.
What living things are affected by koalas eating poisonous leaves?
Apart from the actual eucalyptus leaves themselves, no other living things are affected by the koalas eating leaves which are toxic to only some species.
What season do the koalas have babies?
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.
What are some inventions that have been used for good and evil purposes?
Drugs, weapons, cars, pretty much everything, hahaha not
Does temperature affect koalas?
Australia does not have extreme temperature variations in the areas where koalas live. The worst that happens is that koalas' habitat may be subjected to extreme heat and dryness for a prolonged period of time. During these heatwaves, koalas will actively seek out water, even though during normal times they do not tend to drink, instead obtaining all their moisture needs from the leaves they eat. Bushfires can certainly kill koalas.
No. They do not. Years ago, the indigenous people of Australia did eat koalas, but there are virtually no tribes living their traditional lifestyle any more.
Are there any ill effects of consuming fruits imported from other countries?
Ill effects? What ill effects? Do you mean the ill effects on the health of those who consume imported fruit? Or do you mean the ill effects -- if there are any -- upon the economies of countries that import fruit? Assuming you mean bad effects upon the health of people who consume imported fruit, there are no bad effects if the fruit is wholesome. A nectarine from Chile is just as beneficial to your health as one from New Jersey. An apple a day from Australia will keep the doctor away just as effectively as one from Washington State. Avacados from Mexico are just as sabroso and saludable as those from Texas.
How does a baby koala move when it's little?
Very small koalas remain in their mother's pouch. The koala joey only emerges from the pouch when it is old enough to cling securely to its mother's back.
What African Continent Were there Hieroglyphics found?
There is only one African continent and that is Africa. Hieroglyphics are found in Egypt, which is a country on the continent of Africa.
