The koala ( Phascolarctos cinereus ) is a bushy arboreal marsupial herbivore endemic to Australia, and the only representative of its family, Phascolarctidae. Despite their resemblance to a cuddly and cuddly teddy bear , koalas have nothing to do with bears . They are marsupials. Furthermore, they are unmistakable animals: they are very similar in appearance to the wombat (its closest living relative), but have thicker and softer fur, much larger ears and longer limbs, which are equipped with large, sharp claws to help them with climbing trees . Their weight ranges from about 14kg for a large male from South Australia to about 5kg for a small female from the North. They are generally silent creatures, but male koalas have a very loud call (a rather curious nasal snort) that can be heard from almost a kilometer away and occurs during the breeding season. It is his claim for women.
Koalas are found along the east coast of Australia, from near Adelaide to the base of the Cape York Peninsula, and inland.
What does the word koala mean?
The word “koala” comes from the aboriginal word that means “he who does not drink.” It is not that they do not drink water itself and do not need it, but that they get it from other foods or in other ways. Thus, for example, a study published in 2020 in the journal Ethology revealed that these charismatic animals not only absorb moisture from eucalyptus leaves that they eat or go down to drink from wells in summer when temperatures are extraordinarily warm for them. Instead, they get water by licking the smooth trunks of the trees. Hence, they not only use trees for shelter, rest and even food, but also for hydration . This is the first time that this behavior has been addressed.
And it is that these adorable animals present many curiosities. Among others, they are the ones who sleep the most per day: about 22 hours a day. What do they do the rest of the time? They don’t have much time left, so they basically eat and clean themselves.
