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The koala is a small pale grey-brown marsupial native to Australia which spends most of its life sitting in the fork of a gum tree, asleep. It isn't actually a member of the bear family, but is often referred to as a koala bear as it resembles a small bear or child's teddy bear. The name koala is from the Aboriginal word "gula", which became "koolah" and then "koala". It is sometimes thought that the word means "no drink" as koalas rarely drink water but get their moisture from the eucalyptus leaves which comprise most of its diet, but the meaning is disputed. There are thought to be several hundred thousand koalas living mainly in eastern and southern Australia. They are popular tourist attractions at zoos, where visitors line up for a photograph with a koala, for example at Lone Pine Sanctuary, Brisbane.

Koalas live where eucalyptus trees are found. Their habitat ranges from coastal and inland forests to islands off the coast and inland wooded areas. They are social animals and each group has its own territory. If a koala dies, other koalas won't enter its territory for a year. To prosper, a group needs to have a forest area large enough to support its food requirements and breeding cycle as well as providing shelter. Koalas only eat a few dozen varieties of Australia's 600 eucalyptus species and prefer about ten. Most species are poisonous, and their strong sense of smell lets them know which species are okay to eat. Occasionally, they will eat wattle and tea tree leaves. They eat half to one pound of leaves a day. Their high fiber, low-nutrition diet has given them a slow metabolism rate and they sleep 16-18 hours a day. They are most active at night. A permit is needed to keep a koala as a pet.

The koala has adapted well to its life spent in trees. Its muscular body and limbs, and strong paws with sharp claws, allow it to climb tree trunks and branches in such an easy way it almost looks like it's walking up the tree. On the ground, they look quite awkward and walk or run with a kind of a hobble. A koala's thick fur is waterproof and also provides insulation against temperature extremes. Southern male koalas weigh 20-30 pounds while females weigh 14-24 pounds, although northern koalas weigh less. Apart from their size difference, the way to tell a male from a female is that the male has a brown scent gland on its chest.

One of the more extraordinary traits of koalas is their ability to communicate with each other. A large male will give a deep grunt or bellow

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