Janine Duffy, from Echidna Walkabout Tours, knows a bit about koalas. Janine penned a paper that rocked the Koala Expert world a few years ago on how the patterns on their noses are unique and can identify koalas. Most people are unaware that wild koalas have seen enormous population decline. Koalas are now endangered in some regions of Australia where they were once common. Habitat destruction, dog attacks, highway crossings, and bushfires are all devastating koala populations. The poor Koalas are even going through a chlamydia epidemic!
Janine has personally improved the habitat of wild koalas and other wildlife around Australia, especially in the You Yangs Regional Park in Victoria (near Melbourne). Her excursions involve learning about koalas, removing invasive plant species, and contributing to habitat restoration. Janine wants everyone to know more about koalas and their threatened natural habitat, so here are 25 facts about koalas.
1. Koalas are the only living members of their family, Phascolarctidae.
2. Koalas’ closest relative is the wombat, but they’re not very close relations.
3. Koalas have fingerprints that are individual and very like humans.
4. Koalas are the only animals other than primates that have fingerprints.
5. Koalas are not bears and are not evenly distantly related to bears.
6 The only American animal koalas are related to is the opossum, an extremely distant relative.
7. Koalas are marsupials. The young are born tiny and grow up in a pouch.
8. Koalas only live naturally on Australia’s East Coast:
9. Australia is the only place in the world where you can see a wild koala.
10. Koalas are one of the ten species worldwide most at risk from climate change.
11. Koalas eat hundreds of species of eucalyptus (gum-trees).
12. Koalas eat and drink eucalyptus. They get most of their water from the leaves.
13. A male koala’s life expectancy is around 14 years. Female koalas outlive males by 5 to 10 years.
14. Koalas have a complex social structure managed by vocalizations.
15. Major threats to koalas are, in this order:
- Climate change
- Habitat destruction
- Mines and their infrastructure
- Dogs and vehicles
16. Southern koalas from Victoria are much bigger, darker, and fluffier than northern koalas.
17. A koala male from Victoria can weigh around 26 lb (12kg).
18. Cold weather doesn’t bother koalas much, but hot weather is hard for them!
19. A wild koala usually changes trees every day.
20. Wild koalas can walk 1km overnight and still be in their home range.
21. A male koala in the You Yangs, near Melbourne, needs 20,000 trees to live.
22. Koala Clancy is the most famous wild koala in the world. You can visit him on a tour near Melbourne.
23. The best way you can help koalas is by visiting them in the wild. Tag your wild koala pic.
24. When it comes to koala breeding, the ladies choose their mate!
25. Female koalas are cougars. They usually mate with younger males.
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