by R. Warner

Created on: February 28, 2008

Cute, cuddly, and more squeezable than any other bear the Koala Bear is adored. Amazingly it isn't a bear at all! The Koala is a member of the marsupial family. Like a kangaroo or a wombat the Koala has a pouch that holds its offspring. The Koala is native to Australia and can be found along the southeastern and eastern coastlines in eucalyptus forests. There are approximately 100,000 Koalas in Australia.

A typical Victorian Koala has long thick fur. They have thick fur on their necks and shoulders to protect them from rain and wind. Their fur is dark grey with rich brown highlights along the back and forearms. They have a large nose so they can detect the difference between eucalyptus leaves. They also have cheek pouches so they can store food not yet chewed and move to a safer location if threatened by a predator.

The Koala is 27-36 inches long and weighs between 9 and 20 pounds. The Koala has large sharp claws for climbing and a thick coat with larger ears. The Koala has fingerprints that are unique from one another. Their pear-shaped bodies provide stability while the koalas sit in trees. They are able to climb trees easily. They have two thumbs and three toes-all with long sharp claws for latching unto tree bark.

A full grown Koala spends eighteen hours a day sleeping. The animal has an extremely slow metabolism they store little or no fat so they must conserve energy. Koala's spend three out of five active hours eating. This nocturnal animal consumes one to two pounds of eucalyptus leaves each night. They have to chew the leaves down to a very fine paste before they can swallow it. Eucalyptus leaves are low in protein and have a high amount of indigestible compounds that are toxic to most other animals.

The Koala's liver is able to deactivate the toxins because of the special pap the Koala received from its mother when it was a Joey. Koalas breed once a year. Gestation lasts 35 days, after which one koala is born. Twins are very rare. The baby koala is small, blind and has no ears. It will stay in its mother's pouch for six months-and drink only milk. They stay with their mother's for a year.

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