Koala message. All about koalas Description of koalas for children

The koala (lat. Phascolarctos cinereus) is a mammal of the marsupial bear family (Phascolarctidae) of the order Diprotodontia, living in Eastern Australia. The animal feeds on eucalyptus leaves, so in captivity outside of Australia it is kept only in the San Diego Zoo (California), where a eucalyptus forest was planted especially for them. The name of this little animal in the language of the local aborigines simply means “don’t drink.”

Previously, koalas were widespread throughout the Australian continent, but at the beginning of the last century, their fur became very fashionable in Europe. In 1924 alone, more than 2 million skins were exported from Australia.

The hunting was so active that already in 1927 these animals were recognized as an endangered species and taken under state protection. Currently, their natural habitats have been practically destroyed, so only a few scattered populations have survived.

Behavior

Koalas spend almost their entire lives in trees, walking in their crowns. The animal happily grazes on one tree for several days. As soon as he has thoroughly eaten the foliage, he slowly moves to another tree.

Periodically, the koala descends to the sinful earth to eat a handful of soil or small pebbles to improve digestion.

The animals move very slowly on the ground, so they become easy prey for wild dingoes. Many koalas die under the wheels of cars while trying to cross highways. They feed at night for several hours at a time, and then doze peacefully, sitting on some fork in the branches.

These marsupials sleep very sensitively and react to the slightest rustle. They prefer to live alone, and to discourage competitors from crawling onto privatized trees, they intensively mark the territory with a rather sharp release of odorous glands. Their fur smells strongly of a mixture of eucalyptus and musk, which helps them repel insects. Insects will smell such a creature and, with a feeling of deep personal hostility, fly away from it.

Nutrition

Eucalyptus leaves contain hydrocyanic acid, which is dangerous to life, so they treat koala feeding very responsibly, inexplicably choosing only those leaves that contain the least amount of poison. A mistake can result in death for the eater.

During the night, the animal eats about 500 g of young leaves and shoots.

Special bacteria living in the vermiform appendix of the intestine help him digest such rough food. Beneficial microorganisms not only convert the eaten leaves into a liquid pulp, but also produce the protein compounds necessary for the body. Reserves of chewed food are stored in special cheek pouches. They can be used during short awakenings during the day.

Eucalyptus leaves contain a large amount of essential oils, which cause constant intoxication and retardation of movements in the koala, so it is simply not realistic to see a sober mammal.

The koala drinks water only during the hottest months of the year. The rest of the time she gets by with the moisture she gets from food. Despite its peaceful nature and nocturnal lifestyle, the animal loves to attract everyone's attention by screaming and barking loudly.

Reproduction

The mating season lasts from December to March, when spring ends and summer begins in Australia. Only females are involved in raising offspring. After 25-35 days of pregnancy, a tiny baby is born, completely dependent on its mother.

The baby is born blind and naked, the size of a bean grain and weighing only about 0.3 g. Its hind legs are not yet formed, but its front legs and claws are already developed. With their help, he crawls into his mother's pouch along a path that the mother licks in her fur.

The cub spends the first six months of its life in a pouch, securely attached to the nipple and feeding on milk. The caring mother begins to feed the grown-up child with her own feces, which contains a lot of semi-digested pulp of eucalyptus leaves.

At the age of six months, the baby leaves the pouch and moves onto the mother's back.

The two of them continue to wander through the trees. Up to 8 months old, the offspring still periodically hides in the bag, and at nine months it can only stick its head into it to drink milk. Soon he leaves his mother and moves on to an independent existence.

Description

The body length of males reaches 78 cm, and females - 72 cm. Males weigh up to 12 kg, and females up to 9 kg. The curly body is completely covered with soft silky fur. The fur on the back is gray, and the belly is lighter. The back is decorated with blurry spots.

Koalas have preserved a rudimentary tail no more than 2 cm long. The head is large and wide. Large round ears are densely covered with hair. The large black nose is devoid of vegetation.

There are 5 toes on the front and hind paws. The first and second toes of the front paws are opposed to the others. All fingers are armed with sharp claws, facilitating tree climbing and a strong grip. On the hind paw, the clawless thumb is opposed to all the others. The second and third fingers are fused and serve for combing fur.

The lifespan of koalas is 15-20 years.

Woody animal koala is considered the personification of the entire continent - Australia, is found only on this continent and is closely associated with it. It has extremely interesting features of appearance and behavior. This is a medium-sized, dense creature, about 70 cm tall, resembling a small bear in appearance.

The weight of even impressive males usually does not exceed 14 kg, but some females are much smaller and weigh only 5 kg. Like many endemics of their continent, koalas are marsupial mammals, that is, they have a special skin sac on their belly in which mothers carry their cubs to term.

The body of such animals is covered with soft, thick fur, the length of a hair being about 2 cm or a little more. Its shade can be very diverse and depends on the habitat. On the back it is always darker: red, red or smoky gray. But the tummy is usually lighter in color.

Koalas are distinguished by a flat muzzle, a large head, small eyes and mobile, furry, round ears. In addition, they have a tail that is hardly noticeable due to its small size.

A very important element of the appearance that these arboreal animals inherited from nature is their mobile paws with powerful, durable claws, which allow them to expertly climb trees. Koalas have developed tenacious limbs from a very early age, when the cubs, grabbing onto the mother’s back, do not get lost, thus following the route of movement as a single whole with her.

The structure of the fingers of both limbs is extremely remarkable. The anterior ones are equipped with a pair of grasping fingers, located separately from the others.

Only four toes on the hind legs are equipped with claws, unlike the thumb, which does not have such a sharp tip. Interestingly, like humans, all koala fingers are marked with individual pad patterns - fingerprints.

Now koala in Australia considered pride and one of its symbols. But we also remember other times when European settlers were just settling in this continent. They were then extremely attracted by the rare beauty of the fur of such creatures. And for this reason, the population of animals, which were mercilessly hunted, suffered significant extermination and were pushed out of their usual habitats.

Today, such animals are found mainly in the southern and eastern regions of the continent. In addition, according to scientists, modern descendants of these representatives of the fauna of the continent have significantly degraded in comparison with their ancestors.

The volume of their brains also decreased, which had a very negative impact on their intelligence, moreover, even on their natural self-preservation skills. For example, modern koalas, accustomed to seek salvation from any trouble in the trees, during the hours of spontaneous fires, do not even realize that it is wiser under these circumstances to get off them and go on the run. Seeing the fire, they only tremble and huddle close to the trunks of eucalyptus trees, among which koalas live, for some reason looking for salvation in them.

Kinds

The lifespan of koalas on Earth, as a family of ancient marsupial bears, according to scientists, is estimated at 30 million years. But in those distant times that have sunk into oblivion, its representatives looked somewhat different.

And many of them could boast sizes that exceeded the size of modern animals from this family by a couple of dozen times. All this is proven by the fossil remains of these creatures. There were especially many such finds in the southern regions of Australia.

Also, a lot of this kind of fossils were found in Queensland, one of the states of the continent. Koalas still live in this area of the planet: they weigh no more than 9 kg and are gray in color. But in the state of Victoria, modern animals of this type are found larger. And they have predominantly chocolate-colored fur.

It should be noted that, regardless of the size of these animals living in a particular area, males differ significantly in size from females, more specifically, they are almost twice as long in body length and in weight.

The koala in the form in which it now exists on the planet appeared only 15 million years ago. She is considered a relative of the wombat. This is also a very ancient Australian inhabitant, animal, koala-like on many grounds. In its modern form, it also resembles a small bear, although it is still somewhat larger than the described animal.

Today, the koala is considered the only representative of the koala family and is classified as a species of the same name, which is also called a marsupial bear. Although purely biologically and genetically, such animals are not related to bears at all. Koala in the photo perfectly demonstrates all the funny and very cute external features of these animals.

Lifestyle and habitat

These are inhabitants of eucalyptus forests. Among the thickets of such trees, moving along their trunks, branches and crowns, such creatures spend all the days of their existence, from the first to the last. Koalas are also quite capable of moving on the ground, although not very well. They go down only if there is a desire to move to another tree in a similar way.

During the day, these animals usually rest, so at this time of day only sleeping koala. But even during waking hours they are not particularly active. These creatures are very lazy; it is believed that they spend up to twenty hours a day in a motionless state.

The only thing they can do deftly, quickly and skillfully is climb trees, masterfully jumping from one branch to another. On the tops of eucalyptus trees they usually escape from ill-wishers. These animals are also capable of swimming well.

Koalas do not have a great desire to communicate with their own kind. The only exceptions are during breeding periods, when they are forced, by the call of nature, to look for a partner. However, at other times there are some differences in the behavior of the different sexes.

Females prefer to settle only in a certain territory, usually without leaving the areas they have previously chosen. There they exist peacefully, not reacting much to what is happening around them, busy only with long sleep and caring about filling their stomach.

Males are not particularly attached to their territories. And sometimes a craving for short-distance travel awakens in them. And when they meet each other, they not only do not experience much joy, but are also capable of starting a fight. Such showdowns are even more relevant during the period of mating games. And at such a time, for bullies, these fights can become more than harmless.

But such creatures do not pose a danger to people, so they are kept without special precautions in some zoos. After all, for visitors koala – this is a bear small in size, an animal with a cute, funny appearance, which really attracts their attention. There is almost no need to guard such inhabitants in cages due to the lack of a natural desire for active movement.

There is a known case when one marsupial bear named Mundu tried to escape from the San Diego Zoo, but was not particularly successful in his quest for freedom. The fact is that the koala, rushing into an unknown world, fell asleep on the way. Thus, the adventurer did not cause excessive trouble to the zoo workers.

Nutrition

Such animals can eat almost only one plant in the world - eucalyptus. They eat its shoots and leaves. But this representative of the flora contains insufficient protein, but in excess it is full of harmful, even toxic substances and elements.

And there are so many of the latter components that their dose is quite capable of exceeding the permissible limit, leading to death. It should be noted that many of the animal species would definitely not be able to survive on such a diet. But how can koalas not get poisoned with such a diet?

The secret is that they choose only certain types of their favorite eucalyptus trees as food. And this is not an easy task at all. Their highly developed sense of smell helps koalas distinguish a poisonous plant from others.

For this reason, contain pet koala, even despite the peaceful, sedentary nature of this animal and very pretty appearance, it is quite difficult. Of the eight hundred varieties of eucalyptus trees, they are able to feed on less than a sixth of them without harming their own body.

But in captivity, such choice is significantly reduced. The owners, being humans, do not have sufficiently developed senses and knowledge to provide their pets with nutritious food. Therefore, koalas, forced from hunger to eat anything, are often poisoned to death.

The slowness of these animals should also be explained by their feeding habits. As already mentioned, their diet does not contain enough protein. Hence the very slow metabolism due to the low nutritional value of the foods consumed.

This animal requires about a kilogram of eucalyptus leaves per day, which it carefully crushes with its teeth, which in all respects are adapted specifically for this type of food. The koala also obtains the moisture required for the body from its favorite plant, as well as the dew that forms on it.

Reproduction and lifespan

Fully mature for procreation koala usually by age three. At the same time, females, by all characteristics, are formed somewhat earlier than males. But the first full-fledged mating for such animals usually occurs only at the age of four.

As is already known, these creatures do not have close communication with each other during normal periods. Therefore, when the time of reproduction approaches (this comes once a year), the males begin this process with calling calls.

These sounds, which travel far throughout the area, are not only intended to serve as signals that attract females who live in the neighborhood. It is assumed that these screams should scare off other applicants.

If intercourse is successful, pregnancy occurs, and koala mothers do not carry their cubs for long, only about 35 days. The females of these creatures cannot be called particularly fertile. The litter usually consists of one newborn marsupial bear. But in some cases, twins may be born.

A feature of marsupial mammals is, as is known, the birth of underdeveloped cubs, which are then carried to term by the females in a skin pouch on the abdomen. Newborn koalas weigh only half a gram and are less than 2 cm long.

But such a state does not indicate non-viability. Such babies are quite lively and immediately after birth they climb into the mother’s skin pocket. There they continue their development, feeding, as befits a mammal, mother’s milk.

At the age of six months, the little successors of the koala family begin to gradually switch to adult nutrition, that is, to a eucalyptus diet. To begin with, the mother herself chews the leaves and shoots, feeding them such a light diet, generously flavored with her saliva, endowed with disinfectant properties. This helps the gradual development of normal digestion in babies.

Then the offspring finally leaves the pouch. This happens around seven months of age. For some time the cub still lives directly on the mother. He exists behind her, clinging to her back with his claws. By the age of one year, the offspring practically becomes independent, but tries to stay close to the mother for another couple of months, just in case.

In captivity, koalas with proper nutrition can live up to 18 years. But in natural conditions this rarely happens. In fact, in nature such animals do not have many enemies. Usually, no one attacks them except wild dogs and people.

But these creatures have extremely weak, painful organisms, and therefore, without veterinary supervision and special treatment, they often die prematurely. Under normal conditions, when living in wild eucalyptus forests, the lifespan of koalas can usually be no more than 13 years.

The message about the koala will tell you about this cute animal. Also, a report on the koala will help you prepare for class and deepen your knowledge in the field of biology.

Koala Post

The koala is a herbivorous marsupial that moves and lives on tree branches. She lives on the Australian continent. Sometimes the animal is called a “marsupial bear,” despite the fact that the koala has nothing in common with it. She is the only animal belonging to the Koala family. Today there are about 100,000 individuals, but their number is constantly decreasing.

Description of the koala

Koalas are small in size. The average length of their body is 70-73 cm, and the weight of an adult varies between 6-15 kg. It all depends on the amount of food consumed. The animal's muzzle has a flattened shape. It has small eyes and a black, large nose. The body is almost completely covered with fur. It can be of different shades - ashen, grayish, gray. The paws are equipped with sharp claws, with which the animal clings to trees. After all, they spend most of their lives there.

We mentioned above that the koala is the only species of animal that is part of the Koala family. Previously, it included several more species, but the remaining representatives became extinct. Interestingly, extinct species of koalas could weigh more than half a ton! This animal was first discovered at the end of the 18th – beginning of the 19th centuries.

The average lifespan of a koala is 14 years. It is rare to find individuals that live to be 20 years old.

Where do koalas live?

The main habitat of the koala is eucalyptus forests. Koalas sleep in the first half of the day, sitting comfortably in the trees. And at night the animals climb trees, looking for food.

During the waking period, the koala can sit motionless for a very long time. These teddy bears can sit still for more than 15 hours a day. Animals hardly move on the ground. The only exception to the rule is when moving from one tree to another. And only in the case when it is impossible to jump onto the branch. By the way, at first glance the animals may seem clumsy, but they jump successfully and deftly. Plus, koalas are excellent swimmers.

What do koalas eat?

The diet of koalas is related to their lifestyle. They eat only fresh eucalyptus shoots and leaves. They contain little protein, and this does not allow animals to lead an active lifestyle. It is noteworthy that eucalyptus leaves contain poisons that are fatal to other animals. But koalas have a fairly well-developed sense of smell. This property allows them to choose less poisonous leaves for food.

Koala breeding

Koalas breed twice a year. During one period of pregnancy, the female gives birth to 1-2 cubs. Pregnancy lasts a month. Babies weigh about 5 grams. For about six months they are in the mother's pouch, which is located on the back. The cubs are strongly attached to their mother and when they feel lonely, they make a sound similar to a baby crying.

The animals practically do not drink water. They obtain the necessary moisture for the body from eucalyptus leaves. Only in case of drought do koalas still drink water.
When animals' bodies lack minerals, they eat soil.
They have poor eyesight.
There are fingerprints that are very similar to human fingerprints.
The animal's fur does not allow water to pass through. It also protects the koala from ultraviolet radiation, so it can stay in the sun for a long time.

We hope that the report on the koala helped you prepare for the lesson. You can add your story about the koala using the comment form below.

Koalas are small, dense animals, whose height ranges from 60 to 85 cm, and their weight is 5-16 kg. The head of these animals is large, the muzzle is flat. The eyes are small and widely spaced. The ears are rounded, shaggy and large, always listening, alert. Koalas' paws are well adapted for clinging and climbing; the index and thumb are opposed to the rest, making it convenient to grasp branches. The tail of the animal is quite small, almost invisible.

Koala fur is thick and soft, its color depends on the animal’s habitat, so it can be gray, reddish or red. The fur on the belly is always lighter than on the back. The most prominent part of the animal's body is its claws. They are quite powerful. Having stuck them into a tree, the koala will not fall, even if he falls asleep (and they sometimes sleep up to twenty hours a day). Koalas are phlegmatic animals; they can sit on a tree for hours, only occasionally turning their heads. Often an equally imperturbable baby sits on the mother’s back. These funny animals are usually silent, but the males emit a loud calling call that can be heard at a distance of a kilometer during the breeding season.

Nutrition and lifestyle

Koalas inhabit eucalyptus forests, spending almost their entire lives on the treetops. Animals sleep during the day, sitting comfortably on branches, and at night they climb trees in search of food. Koalas descend to the ground only to move to another tree, which they cannot jump to (although koalas jump, surprisingly, confidently and easily). These slow and phlegmatic animals flee to an energetic gallop to escape, quickly climbing the nearest eucalyptus tree.

The slowness of koalas is associated with their feeding habits. Animals have adapted to eat only eucalyptus leaves and shoots, which contain little protein, but many terpene and phenolic compounds (they are poisonous to most animals). Closer to autumn, hydrocyanic acid accumulates in young shoots. Due to the poisonous properties of the plant, food competition among koalas is extremely low.

Koalas choose to eat only those types of eucalyptus that contain fewer phenolic compounds, and also prefer trees growing on fertile soil. Of the 800 species of eucalyptus, marsupial bears feed on only 120 species. A developed sense of smell allows koalas to choose suitable food. Every day the animal eats up to 1.1 kg of leaves, which it chews thoroughly and accumulates the green mass in its cheek pouches.

Koalas get all their moisture from eucalyptus leaves and dew on them. Animals drink water only during periods of prolonged drought, as well as during illness. To compensate for the deficiency of minerals, these animals eat nutritious soil from time to time. The most common diseases of koalas: cystitis, conjunctivitis, periostitis of the skull, sinusitis.

Reproduction

Females stick to their areas and lead a solitary lifestyle, rarely leaving their place of residence. Male koalas are not territorial, but when they meet, they often attack each other (especially during the breeding season) and cause injury.

The mating season lasts from October to February. Animals gather in groups, which consist of several females and one male (since much fewer males are born). During this period, males make loud calls and rub their chests against trees, leaving marks. Mating between animals occurs in trees.

The female's pregnancy lasts on average 30-35 days. There is only one cub in the litter. At birth, the baby has a body length of up to 18 mm and a body weight of about 6 grams. The koala bears the cub in a pouch for up to six months. Then he travels for the same amount of time on his mother’s back, clinging to the fur and feeding on milk. At 30 weeks of age, the baby koala begins to eat its mother's liquid excrement. At the age of one year, he becomes independent and goes in search of sites (often staying with his mothers until he is three years old).

Koalas breed once every year or two. Sexual maturity in males occurs at 3-4 years, in females - at 2-3 years. These animals live on average 13 years.

If a competition were held among the representatives of the animal world of our planet for the cutest animal, then the koala, or the Australian marsupial, would probably take one of the prizes there. After all, he looks so much like a little teddy bear, so beloved by children. Did you know that the word “koala” from one of the Australian aboriginal languages is translated as “does not drink”? That is, this is what the indigenous Australians (by the way, far from our European depravity with alcoholic beverages) nicknamed this animal because it almost never drinks water, although later zoologists found that, although occasionally, koalas still drink water.

Koala: description, structure, characteristics. What does a koala look like?

Although the koala is called a marsupial bear, or an Australian bear, due to some external similarity, it has nothing to do with real bears; the koala and the bear are not even distant relatives. The koala belongs to the family of marsupials, which is represented by three species: koalas themselves, wombats and kangaroos. The wombat is the closest relative of the koala.

The appearance of the koala is very unusual. Its fur is short and thick, usually gray, smoky in color, but there are koalas with brown shades. But her belly is always white.

The koala's body length is 60-85 cm, with a weight of up to 14 kg.

The koala's eyes are small and blind, vision is not its greatest advantage, but the koala's weak vision is fully compensated by its excellent hearing and sense of smell. The koala's large ears are located at the edges of its head and are also covered with fur. The koala also has a large flattened black nose.

Koala teeth are ideal for eating plants; however, all marsupials, including wombats, these closest relatives of koalas, have a similar tooth structure.

And since koalas live mainly in trees, nature gave them tenacious front paws with long claws (promoting tenacity). Each koala's front paw has two double-phalangeal thumbs and three standard three-phalangeal toes. The hind legs are arranged differently - on the koala’s foot there is only one big toe, devoid of nails, and four ordinary toes. Thanks to their tenacious front paws, koalas easily cling to tree branches and in this position they dine, rest and even sleep.

Does a koala have a tail? Yes, there is, but only the koala's tail is so short that it is practically invisible under the fur.

Where do koalas live?

All koalas, as well as the entire family of marsupials in general, live on only one continent - Australia.

History of the discovery of koalas

Interestingly, the discoverer of Australia, the famous English navigator James Cook, never discovered koalas, despite the fact that there were plenty of koalas at his landing site. Well, Captain Cook was just unlucky to meet them. And the first European to see these unique animals with his own eyes was the English naval officer Barallier. In 1820, he sent the body of a dead koala to the governor of New South Wales, and a year later a live koala was caught for the first time. Since then, this unique animal has become the subject of passion and research of many European zoologists.

How long do koalas live?

The lifespan of a koala in the wild is 13-18 years.

What does a koala eat?

What do koalas eat? All of them are herbivorous vegetarians, and their main source of food is shoots and eucalyptus. Interestingly, koalas have practically no food competitors, since eucalyptus leaves, which contain little protein and also contain hydrocyanic acid, are not interesting for other herbivores. But even among eucalyptus trees, not all leaves and shoots are suitable for food for koalas; thanks to their well-developed sense of smell, they are able to select the least toxic among them. In general, according to zoologists, koalas eat only 120 species of eucalyptus out of 800 found in nature.

A koala eats from 0.5 to 1.1 kg of leaves per day, and this is relatively little, but since all koalas are phlegmatic and inactive, this is enough for them. Also, sometimes they can eat ordinary soil, thus they compensate for the lack of certain minerals in the body.

As for the name of the koala - “non-drinker”, to some extent it is justified, since all marsupials consume very little moisture; koalas usually need morning dew that settles on the leaves and the moisture present in eucalyptus leaves to quench their thirst . But during periods of illness or drought, koalas can drink water from various fresh sources, as do all other animals.

Koala lifestyle

All koalas are nocturnal; during the day they sleep peacefully on branches, and at night they climb these same branches in search of food. In general, these are very calm, good-natured, phlegmatic animals, leading a solitary, one might even say reclusive, life. Koalas unite only for reproduction, and so they prefer to live separately, each koala has its own territory, and if the boundaries of this territory are violated by another koala, then the peacefulness of the koala can be replaced by aggressive behavior.

But koalas are usually friendly to people and are easily tamed. Now in Australia there are many koala nurseries where you can easily pet a koala, even pick it up.

Koala's enemies

In natural conditions, koalas have practically no enemies, since even wild dogs, dingoes, these Australian predators generally avoid koalas because of their bright eucalyptus scent. But human activity has had a very detrimental effect on their population; recently, roads are increasingly cutting through Australian eucalyptus forests, the patrimony of koalas, and often clumsy and slow koalas die under the wheels of cars.

Types of koalas

In fact, koalas are represented by only one species, this is the common koala, Australian, and it is described in our article.

Koala breeding

The mating season for koalas begins in October and lasts until February. During this period, female koalas begin to select their love partners. The larger the male koala, and the louder he is able to scream, the more attractive he will be to females. It is also very interesting that among koalas there are many times fewer males than females, there are simply fewer of them born, and as a result, one male usually fertilizes from three to five females per season.

The pregnancy of a female koala lasts 30-35 days, after which a single cub is born; in very rare cases, twins can be born. Also, pregnancy in a female koala can only happen once every two years. Small koalas are born naked, hairless, and at first are under the close care of their mother, drink breast milk and sit in a pouch like cubs.

Having matured a little, little koalas begin to climb onto the mother’s scruff, clinging to the fur. After a year, they are already ready for adult life, but they remain close to their mother until they are two or three years old. Only after reaching sexual maturity, in the second or third year of life, do they leave their mother forever to become independent adult koalas.

Despite its peaceful nature, keeping a koala at home is not the best idea; more precisely, it is simply absolutely not possible due to the feeding habits of these animals. As we wrote above, koalas eat leaves and shoots of eucalyptus trees, but, unfortunately, they are not able to digest other food. But even among eucalyptus leaves, picky koalas eat only 120 varieties out of 800, and you won’t be able to determine exactly which leaves are suitable for koalas and which are not. For this reason, koalas can live exclusively in their natural territory in eucalyptus forests.

The male koala has a forked penis, while the female has two vaginas and, accordingly, two uteruses. However, one should not be surprised, since a similar structure of the genital organs is characteristic of all animals of the marsupial family.
The koala is one of the rare mammals that has unique patterns on the pads of its toes. Apart from koalas, only a few people have this, and of course, humans.
The koala has a very slow metabolism, a metabolism that determines its natural slowness. In this it is surpassed only by the even slower one, about which there is also an interesting article on our website.

Koala video

And finally, an interesting documentary about koalas.

This article is available in English - .