• Koalas and kangaroos both live in Australia.
• Koalas and kangaroos start with the letter K.
• Koalas and kangaroos can have more than one baby but generally only have one a season.
• A koala baby is called a joey. A kangaroo baby is called a joey.
• Koalas and kangaroos are marsupials.
• Koalas and kangaroos both eat leaves.
• Koalas and kangaroos both have pouches.
• Koala and kangaroo parents both digest the food before feeding it to their young.
• Neither koalas nor kangaroos mate for life.

The road toll has been so extensive a nationwide awareness program has been created to educate drivers to be alert for koalas crossing roads at night. Koala friendly road signs are displayed throughout the country much to the delight of tourists who do not realize that they are there to warn them of the danger of driving over the little creatures.

So how does this type of pouch benefit the koala?

Baby koalas, also known as joeys, must eat Pap, a special blend of their mother’s feces. The practice of eating feces is called coprophagy. While this may sound disgusting to you and I, it is vital for the joeys to be introduced to the micro-organisms needed to digest the typically toxic eucalyptus leaves. The micro-organisms come directly from their mother’s digestive system via the pap. The rear-oriented pouch opening facilitates the necessary practice of coprophagy and thusly, serves the koala’s needs for survival.

The interesting point to investigate is where this pouch evolved from and where does this point for the evolutionary history of the koala?

If you have more information on this than we do, we’d love to read about it and discuss it with you.

Sources:
http://www.thekoala.com/koala/
http://darwinstories.blogspot.com/2008/05/how-koala-got-it-backwards.html

There is a deep grunting bellow which the male uses to signify its social and physical position. Males save fighting energy by bellowing their dominance and they also bellow to allow other animals to accurately locate the position of the caller.

Females do not bellow as often as males, but their calls too are used to express aggression as well as being part of sexual behaviour, often giving the impression of fighting.

Mothers and babies make soft clicking, squeaking sounds and gentle humming or murmuring sounds to one another, as well as gentle grunts to signal displeasure or annoyance.

All koalas share one common call which is elicited by fear. It is a sickening cry like a baby screaming and is made by animals under stress. It is often accompanied by shaking.

Koalas also communicate by marking their trees with their scent.

LISTEN TO EXAMPLES HERE, HERE, HERE, and HERE.

Direct Source: http://www.thekoala.com/koala/

Koalas prefer to stay relatively close to their home range where they feel comfortable.

The closest relative to the koala is the wombat. It is believed that the two shared the same ancestors 25 million years ago.

The word Koala is an Aboriginal word for “no drink”. Whilst they obtain quite a lot of moisture from the eucalypt leaves, it is a myth that they don’t drink at all.

Koalas will not eat any leaves, regardless of their age, that contain less than 55% water.

Sources:
http://www.infogunnedah.com.au/tourism/koalas_facts.php
Jackson, Stephen. Koala : Origins of an Icon. Belmont: Allen & Unwin, 2008.

Anyone who wishes to assist in fundraising for the AKF is invited to fill out an order form on their website. Awards are include a highest fundraiser prize and a free foster koala for one year for those who raise more than $200.

Source: Wikipedia

A couple examples…

Doala the Koala — Mascot for a Japanese Baseball Team

A Company Logo for SAMKO TIMBER LTD

Photo by Yvonne (No Last Name)

When watching a koala one might be persuaded to believe they are the most relaxed animal on earth. If not sleeping or eating gum leaves, you can usually find them stretched out and licking their arms as if they hadn’t a care in the world. It makes you almost yawn thinking about it. But before you chock the koala up as lazy, let’s examine the real reasons behind its tendency to be a “cool” critter.

Firstly, the koala has no sweat glands. Therefore it must cool itself by stretching out and licking its arms. Think of the those sweltering hot summer days (no thanks to global warming, of course), where all you want to do is stretch out on a chair, in front of a fan and hope the weather finds forgiveness delivered in a gentle breeze. That is all koalas can do under the hot Australian sun.

Their lackadaisical behavior can also be attributed to their low-quality diet consisting of mainly eucalyptus leaves. This diet, high in fiber but low in protein, affords them limited energy. Think of them as the ultimate energy conservationists. Why bother spending the little energy they have running about when all they need is right there in the tree where they live.

So, next time you see a koala bear stretched out, licking its fur, and it can’t be even bothered to look in your direction… do not jump to the conclusion it is lazy or unsocial, just remember it is doing what it must do to stay “cool”. And hope a gusty wind will come along to help the little critter.

References
Lincoln Park Zoo. 1997. Species Data Sheet: Phascolarctos cinereus. http://www.lpzoo.com/animals/mammals/facts/koala.html

Dubuc, J. and D. Eckroad. 1999. “Phascolarctos cinereus” (On-line), Animal Diversity Web. Accessed August 31, 2008 at http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Phascolarctos_cinereus.html.