Koalas

'Keeping Wildlife Wild'

Koala
Phascolarctos cinereus

Koalas are Marsupials, meaning they carry their young in a pouch.

When the young [Joey's] are born, they are only the size of a jellybean.

They have no fur and their eyes and ears are still closed.

They attach themselves to a milk nipple to feed, where it will it will remain for around six months.

Between 22 and 30 weeks of age the joey will feed on 'pap' which is produced by the mother as a specialised form of faeces. This allows the mother to pass on micro-organisms to the joey which are essential for the digestion of eucalyptus leaves.
The joey will then ride on its mothers back until about 12 months old when it can take care of itself.
Koalas have two thumbs on their front paws which help them to grip the tree and their food and to help them climb. On the hind paw, the second and third toes are fused together to form a' grooming claw'.

Koala's sleep a lot to conserve energy as they store little or no fat in their bodies.
The fur on the koala's bottom is dense to provide a cushion for the hard branches it sits on. It is also 'speckled' in colour to make the koala hard to spot from the ground. The male koala has a dark, scent gland in the centre of his chest which he rubs on tree's in order to mark his territory.