Monday, March 12, 2007

Koala

There are two main ways Koalas tend to choose where they settle down. One is Koalas tend to live in areas in which other Koalas also live. They also prefer to live close to trees which is their main means of food.
Koalas are found in a variety of different habitats. They do not live in the rainforest but they do live in areas where there is a immense amount of trees to feed off of. Koalas have thick fur that is very soft to the touch. Their life expectancy is about 17 year, however, females tend to out live males by 7 years, due to fighting and cats and dogs.






A newborn Koala is called a joey. A joey is the size of a jelly bean at birth. They are born with no hair, blind and earless. By their distinct smell and direction they make their way into their mothers pouch were they live for the first 7 months to a year. In the pouch they get the milk and nutrients, called pap, they need in order to develop a good immune system so they can survive on their own. A mother Koala usually only has one joey at a time.



Each Koala eats approximately 200-500 grams of leaves per day. Eucalyptus leaves contain 50% of water so Koalas rarely need to hydrate themselves by drinking water, although they can.






Koala's spend the majority of their time sleeping, approximately 75% of the time, in the fork of trees. This is one of the times many people report hearing them "barking" loudly at other koalas.







Want to learn more about Koala's visit:

References:
Koala Facts














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