Koalas

A group of chicks is called a clutch, peep or chattering

Koalas are mammals, so they do not shed skin, lose a tail or change from a pupa. This is not a characteristic of any mammal.

Newborn koalas are about 2cm long, pink, hairless and blind. They are completely decent on their mother, and cannot live independently of her, outside of the pouch. As they grow, they develop fur, open their eyes and gradually wean off their mother. For their digestive system to make the transition from mothers' milk to eucalyptus leaves, they must be fed a special sort of food called pap. Pap 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.

No. This is a myth.

Eucalyptus leaves are low in nutrition, and although the koala has a digestive system which can utilise all the nutrients in the best way, the leaves do not give them much energy. Hence, they spend so much time asleep, which has given rise to the myth that koalas get "high".

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They are not.

The koala is not a bear.
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. Some US zoos are capable of growing the necessary eucalypt leaves to feed them, but these trees do not occur naturally in the USA.

Yes, but this is not a problem. After the young joey has left the pouch, and prior to the next breeding season, the female koala secretes a substance which cleans out the pouch. Being a backward-facing pouch, she cannot clean it out as a kangaroo does, with her tongue, so the koala has an inbuilt cleaning system.

As with all mammals, the koala's respiratory system consists of a pair of lungs, a trachea (or windpipe) and the mouth and nose for breathing.

Koalas are found only in Australia, specifically, the eastern mainland region, and the southeast as far west as Kangaroo Island and the Fleurieu Peninsula in South Australia. They do not live in Austalia's island state of Tasmania.

Most species of possums in Australia are omnivores, meaning they eat both plant and animal matter.

Possums commonly eat fruit (making them partly frugivorous), grains and seeds (granivorous), plant shoots and nectar. They have also been known to eat insects (meaning they are also insectivorous), small lizards, birds' eggs and sometimes even tiny chicks. Brush-tailed possums in New Zealand, to which they have been introduced, have even been seen to eat whole birds.

Possums' teeth are not the shape of a standard herbivore or carnivore, but have the specialised shape of an omnivore, which allow them to grasp, cut, slice and grind.

Selfish people kill animals for their fur without any regard of the survival of the species. Further to this hunting, the habitat of koalas is limited.

Some people don't actually want to kill the koalas and they don't realize they because when people cut down forests they're also cutting down their homes and food.

Note: Koalas are not hunted for their fur any more. Koalas are now protected, and there is no legal trade in koala fur.

The vast majority of people do not actively engage in killing koalas. Only those with no conscience might think killing koalas is good sport. Careless drivers also kill koalas when these creatures try crossing the road between trees in their home range.

Koalas eat only leaves from certain types of gum trees. They are also known to eat wattle, tea tree, paperbark and some pine species.

Beer sold in stores have a taste different from home brew. Home brewed beer is the best beer and healthy to drink in moderation.

Koalas cannot eat watermelons. Their digestive systems are designed for eucalyptus leaves and flowers alone. However, individual koalas sometimes have idiosyncrasies of their own, and it is conceivable that in times of extreme heat and drought, if a koala had access to watermelon, it would lick it for the moisture content.

for us to see

because they are

Koalas are not necessarily a nuisance on Kangaroo Island, but there is an over-population problem, due to the lack of predators on Kangaroo Island.

There are problems associated with what to do with so many koalas. There are issues with relocating koalas because it is too difficult for them to integrate into an area which is not their natural territory if koalas already populate that region.

The suggestion has been made that the Kangaroo Island koalas be culled. This has led to an enormous outcry from the public and conservationists. One possible solution could be to relocate them to an area where there are no koala populations. Koalas have been introduced into protected colonies in Western Australia, and their favoured eucalyptus trees have also been introduced for their food supply. This would be a humane solution to the problem of the koalas on Kangaroo Island.

• Koalas have very strong claws suitable for gripping 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
• Koalas' hind legs have one toe set at a wide angle. This, too, enables them to grip tree branches. They also have toes with thick pads which enable them to sit comfortably in a tree all day.

During the mating season, male giraffes slam their necks together in fighting bouts to determine which male is stronger and can therefore mate with females.

The main way in which climate change is likely to affect koalas is that the frequency and intensity of bushfires in Australia will probably increase. Bushfires, of course, kill koalas. Eucalyptus bushland will always regenerate after a bushfire - that is the way Australian native plants are designed - so, while koalas are unlikely to lose their food source anytime soon, the impact of bushfires on the koala population can be quite devastating. Koalas simply have nowhere to run and hide.

They should sleep about 8 or 9 hours a night.

Yes. While many measures are being taken to try to preserve koalas, ultimately humans do hurt koalas, both directly and indirectly.

Some people are simply cruel, and there are numerous cases each year of koalas being shot.

Humans indirectly hurt koalas by destroying their habitat for housing or commercial developments. Humans also hurt koalas indirectly by not carefully supervising their domestic pets. Dogs are one of the main killers of koalas in urban areas.

Koalas (which are not bears) are about 23 to 24 inches long.

It is illegal to own pet koalas, though it is possible to volunteer to foster one. In that case, you basically can care for the koala in whole.