Field guide · rare
Koala
Australia's sleepy tree hugger — a marsupial that lives on toxic eucalyptus leaves and rarely comes down to the ground.
Endangered
Overview
The koala is not a bear but a marsupial specialist of eucalyptus forest, sleeping up to 20 hours a day to conserve energy on a diet that is low in nutrition and high in toxins. Its fluffy ears, spoon-shaped nose, and gripping claws make it one of the world's most recognisable animals.
Koalas are mostly solitary, with males bellowing during breeding season from forked branches high in the canopy. Joeys are born tiny and crawl into the mother's pouch, emerging months later to cling to her back.
Habitat
Eucalyptus woodland and forest along Australia's eastern and southern coasts hold koalas. They depend on specific tree species and are threatened by habitat clearing, bushfires, and chlamydia disease in many populations.
Countries found
Interesting facts
- 01
Koalas sleep up to 20 hours a day — eucalyptus leaves are low in energy.
- 02
Joeys eat a special form of mother's faeces to gain gut bacteria for digesting eucalyptus.
- 03
Each koala prefers certain eucalyptus species — they are picky eaters.
Conservation status
Koalas are Endangered in eastern Australia after bushfires, habitat loss, and disease devastated populations. Conservation groups are planting corridors and treating sick animals in wildlife hospitals.
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