Characteristics
- are arboreal (live in trees), only coming to ground to change trees
- are found from north Queensland to South Australia in eucalypt and woodland forests
- are marsupials – they carry their young in a pouch
- are the only other animal (besides primates) that have individual fingerprints like us
- have five digits on each front paw, two of which are opposed to the others, this helps them to hold firmly onto the branches and to grip their food
- the second and third digits on their hind paws are fused together to form a grooming claw
- have thick, woolly fur which protects them from both high and low temperatures, it also acts like a ‘raincoat’ when it rains
- northern koalas are typically smaller and lighter in colour than southern koalas
- use a range of sounds to communicate with one another over large distances
- also communicate by marking their trees with their scent
- have large ears that provide a keen sense of hearing
- rely on their highly developed sense of smell to differentiate levels of toxins, nutrients and moisture in eucalyptus leaves
- don’t live in family groups – bonding exists only between mothers and dependent joeys -they live in relatively well-defined home ranges, which border or partially overlap adjacent home ranges of other individuals

Diet
- feed on a variety of eucalypt leaves and a few other related tree species
- they consume around 500 grams of leaves each day
- eucalyptus leaves have low nutritional value and are high in indigestible or toxic materials
- joeys are not born with the specialised bacteria needed to digest leaves – mothers pass on bacteria by excreting a soft faecal substance (pap) which the joey eats, providing it with the required bacteria
Threats
There are a range of threats to koala survival in South East Queensland:
- habitat loss and fragmentation due to urbanisation;
- disease;
- vehicle strikes;
- dog attacks; and
- climate change
There is growing evidence that increased stress from these threats is impacting on their long-term health and wellbeing.