Have You Herd About Koalas?

The koala is an iconic Australian animal. Often called the koala “bear,” this tree-climbing animal is a marsupial—a mammal with a pouch for the development of offspring. Though koalas look fuzzy, their hair is more like coarse wool of a sheep. They have two opposing thumbs on their hands, and both their feet and hands have rough pads and claws to grab onto branches. They have two toes fused together, on their feet, which they use to comb their fur. Koalas live in the eucalyptus forests of southeastern and eastern Australia. When not sleeping, they’re usually eating. They rely on the eucalyptus tree for both habitat and food. Koalas can eat more than a pound of eucalyptus leaves a day. Eucalyptus is toxic, so the koala’s digestive system has to work hard to digest it, breaking down the toxins and extracting limited nutrients.