Koalas are the most lovable animals in the world. They are found in Australia and are native to that continent. They live in the tall eucalypt forests and low eucalypt woodlands of mainland eastern Australia. They also live in some islands off the southern and eastern coasts of Australia. Queensland, New South Wales (NSW) and Victoria are the only Australian states where the koalas can be found living naturally.
They eat gum leaves which are normally toxic or poisonous for other animals. A koala’s digestive system has to work very hard to breakdown the toxins or poisons and get the nutrients. But they get very little energy from their diet and these is why koalas sleep for about 18-22 hours a day. These gum leaves have moisture in them so koalas do not need water except on very hot days or times of drought. They have sharp claws which help them to climb to the top of very tall gum trees. A koala’s fingerprints are like those of a human.
The name koala comes from Dharug aboriginal tribe’s Dharug word meaning ‘ no drink’. This is because Koala’s need very little water. The aborigins are the natives of Australia.
These lovable creatures are nocturnal. This means that they are active during the night and generally sleep during day.
Koalas are sometimes called koala bears but this is not correct. They are not bears but are marsupials.A marsupial is an animal whose babies are born immature and then the babies grow up in their mothers’ pouches. A baby koala is called a joey and lives for about six months in the mother’s pouch. The next six months a joey will generally spend riding on his mother’s back
The koala’s have large round heads, big black noses and large fuzzy ears. Their fur is grey- brown with white or cream fur on the chest ,inner arms, ears and bottom.
Due to man’s actions the koalas are in danger of fast losing their habitats.
Eucalyptus trees
Eucalyptus or eucalypti are among some of the world’s tallest trees. They are also called gum trees or stringybark trees. These trees are mostly found in Australia. From here people have taken them from trees to countries like New Zealand, Southern Europe and South America.
There are over 500 types of eucalyptus.
The giant Australian gum tree is more than 300 feet tall. The trunk is about 25 feet around.
The eucalyptus leaves are long and thin and some leaves have a strong smelling oil. This oil is used to make medicines such as cough drops. Eucalyptus leaves are dark or light green in colour.
The flowers are small and colours include red, white and yellow. The seeds are enclosed in capsules. The eucalyptus nuts are called gum nuts. Eucalyptus oil can catch fire easily.
Sources: Kidzsearch.com, Britannica kids
