About Koalas

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

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

There are a range of threats to koala survival in South East Queensland:

There is growing evidence that increased stress from these threats is impacting on their long-term health and wellbeing.