KOALA |
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Often called a "Koala BEAR" the Koala is in fact no relation to a bear but a distant cousin to the "Wombat". Fossils have been found from both the Koala and Wombat that date back to over 15 million years. The Koala is very popular and probably the most loved marsupial mammal by both the Australians and overseas tourists. It has a woolly coat with large fluffy ears, a bulbous nose and almost no tail. A Koala is nocturnal, sleeping during the day in the fork of a tree and eating after dark. Its strong claws allows it to be a strong climber. The Koala moves very slowly making it look like a lazy animal. It feeds on selected eucalyptus leaves. Other animals can't digest the oils and poisons in eucalyptus leaves, but the Koala's digestive system has evolved to accommodate this. A full grown Koala can eat a little more than 1 kilo of leaves per day. Eucalypt leaves have a high water content, so Koalas normally don't need to drink as they obtain enough water from the leaves. The female Koala has one young a year. The baby Koala sucks on two nipples, in its mum's backward-opening pouch, for about seven months. It rides on its' mum's back and at 1 year old the mother begins to wean it onto eucalyptus leaves. Koalas can live up to 15 years in captivity. You could say the Koala is on the endangered species list, in threat of extinction, its' population diminishing due to the causes of:....
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