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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 words that start with an A that describes a koala?
Words that start with an "A" to describe a koala include "adorable," highlighting their cute appearance, and "arboreal," which refers to their tree-dwelling lifestyle. Additionally, "affectionate" can describe their social behavior, as they often show bonding tendencies with each other. Lastly, "aloof" may capture their somewhat solitary nature, as koalas tend to be independent animals.
What else could be done to help a koala that might make a difference?
The koala has been a protected species since earlier in the twentieth century, and this action has brought it back from the brink of extinction. Koalas enjoy a quite healthy population in many parts of Australia, although currently they are listed as "vulnerable" in southeast Queensland. Koalas are a protected native species and many things are being done or trialled to prevent their becoming vulnerable in other areas.
It is up to the individual state governments in Australia to determine how koalas are best helped. Trials have been done to build special passages (as mentioned above) for koalas to travel under roadways to reach feeding grounds. For many years, the Redland Shire (now city) of southeast Queensland maintained speed limits on roads for certain seasons of the year and times of the day, to minimise the risk of koalas been hit by cars. The trials were unsuccessful, and subsequently scrapped. Other trials have seen the management of housing estates, where the keeping of domestic pets such as dogs is tightly controlled, to minimise danger to koalas. In some areas, eco-passages have been built for koalas and other native wildlife to safely cross over or under busy roadways.
Some housing developers try to "buy" government approval for large housing estates by including plans for koala hospitals to be built within their areas of planned development. Sometimes local governments will not compromise the safety of koalas with such a ridiculous scheme, and refuse approval for such housing applications. Research on koala needs is constantly being carried out, and other areas have koala and native wildlife hospitals anyway, seeing a need for such a facility with the increasing numbers of koalas being injured by cars, people or dogs.
Initially there were no koalas in Western Australia, and South Australia's population had been wiped out by the 1920s. This has now been reversed. Kangaroo Island off the coast of SA and isolated islands off Victoria's coast have actually seen an overpopulation problem due to these protected colonies. New colonies have been established in Western Australia, and the koalas are breeding quite successfully.
Despite urging by conservation groups since around 1992, Australia's federal government has refused to list the koala as vulnerable.
The Australian Koala Foundation also works actively to help preserve this iconic Australia, as do numerous other conservation groups.
How old can koalas be to be away from their mother?
Koala joeys typically stay with their mothers for about six months to a year. They are weaned around six months but may continue to stay with their mother for additional time, usually up to a year, as they learn to forage and navigate their environment. After this period, they are generally independent and can survive on their own.
How did koalas become threatened?
They are listed as a species of least concern, not threatened. Population of over 100,000.
There is considerable contention over the status of the koala. The Australian Koala Foundation estimates koala numbers have dropped below 80,000.
Koalas are not officially classed as "threatened" by any authority within Australia. Their status varies from "secure" or "common" in many areas to "vulnerable" in localised regions such as southeast Queensland, and "vulnerable" in New South Wales (after previously being "rare and vulnerable" in 1992).
Due to farming and land clearing, native koalas were eradicated from Western Australia and South Australia in the last century, but moves have been made to reestablish new colonies in both states.
Despite urging by conservation groups since around 1992, Australia's federal government has refused to list the koala as vulnerable, threatened or endangered. Even international conservation groups cannot agree. Meanwhile, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) lists the koala as "potentially vulnerable", while the US Endangered Species Act lists the koala as "threatened".
The main 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.
What runs faster a koala or a panda?
Koalas do not do anything quickly, so a Panda would probably be faster.
There is no collective noun for a group of Koalas. They are essentially solitary animals, although they live within complex social communities. Where you have a whole community, it may be known as a koala colony.
Baby joeys, the young of all marsupials, respire by lungs. Although they cannot survive independently of their moter, they have fully formed organs, including lungs.
Koalas are not bears, they are a marsupial mammal indigenous to Australia.
Koalas are not even remotely related to bears. The name "koala bear" is incorrect, and not used by Australians. Koalas are marsupials, unlike bears, which are placental mammals.
There are no bears in Australia.
No. Koalas are marsupials, and bears are placental mammals, and there are many features they do not share.
The only similarity it shares with members of the bear family is that both koalas and bears are mammals.
Australians do not call these marsupials "Koala bears", but just "koalas".
no they are not in the bear family
Why does eucalyptus leaves hang vertical?
To decrease the amount of surface area of the plant exposed to the sun. This decreases the amount of transpiration therefore minimising water loss.
What are the physical characteristics of the eucalyptus tree?
A large, fast-growing evergreen with bluish green leaves and flowers. The tree can grow to 375 - 480 ft (125 - 160 m).
Why do people say that koalas are mammals?
Koalas are mammals. Specifically, they are an order of mammals known as marsupialia, or marsupials. They are mammals in every sense of the word, but they also have a pouch in which most of the development of the young joey occurs.
Like all mammals except for the monotremes (platypuses and echidnas), koalas give birth to live young.
Placental mammals and marsupials have certain defining characteristics that distinguish them from other types of animals such as reptiles; these include hair, live birth (as compared to laying eggs - only mammals which are monotremes reproduce by laying eggs) and the feeding of milk to offspring by the mother; koalas have these characteristics.
The koala is not native to two Australian states what are they?
Koalas are not native to either Tasmania or Western Australia. They are also not native to the Northern Territory, which is not a state.
They have been introduced to Western Australia, where they live in small colonies.
What do a koala and a tree kangaroo have in common?
Rabbits and kangaroos have the following qualities in common:
- They are both vertebrates and mammals, meaning they are warm blooded animals which give live birth, have fur and breathe using lungs (not gills).
- Both creatures have strong back legs which enable them to jump. They both use a hopping motion as their primary means of locomotion.
- They have long ears and an acute sense of hearing.
- Both animals tend to be a pest to farmers.
- They are both herbivores.
How does the grey koala protect itself?
There is no such species as the "grey koala".
Koalas have virtually no defence against large predators such as dingoes or domestic dogs. Their sharp claws are sufficient defence against smaller predators such as quolls and feral cats. They also use their sharp claws to climb tall, straight gum trees quickly to get away from ground-dwelling predators.
What is the average number of koalas born at a given time?
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.
How many babies do koala bears have in a year?
Koalas, which are not bears at all, usually have just one young (joey) per year.
Koalas are not aggressive. Males may be territorial, especially during mating season, but they are not aggressive towards any other species.
Is there something that can pick up the fruit of the sweet gum tree?
There is a company that makes a machine to pick the sweet gum balls up. It is called Baganut. They are an investment but they WORK.
Their website is www.baganut.com.
What do joeys koalas and platypuses have in common?
Joeys are the young of koalas and any other marsupial. Their only commonality with platypuses is that they are mammals, and they live in Australia.
