Koala

(Phascolarctos cinereus) - 'ash coloured pouch bear' (but they are NOT bears!) The name 'Koala' comes from an Australian Aboriginal word meaning 'no drink'.

Image source: http://www.aussie-info.com/identity/fauna/koala.php

Distribution

There is a disjointed distribution of koalas from northern Queensland to southern Victoria and south-eastern South Australia.

Habitat

Cool-temperate wet and dry eucalypt forests and woodland. Koalas are known to browse only about 50 of the 500 or more species of eucalypt in Australia.

On KI their preferred food trees are mainly restricted to fertile riverine habitats, esp. along the Cygnet River valley and river systems in Flinders Chase NP.

Size

50-82cm (males are a lot larger than females) 5-10Kg

Image source: http://www.aussie-info.com/identity/fauna/koala.php

Diet

• An adult koala consumes 200-500 grams of leaves per day.
• It has several digestive adaptations to cope with a diet that is high in fibre, low in protein and contains tannins and waxes and other potentially poisonous compounds.
• Their inactive lifestyles may be an adaptation to their low-energy diet of gum leaves!
• They obtain most of their moisture from Eucalypt leaves.
• To help young koalas make the transition from mother's milk to eucalypt leaves, their mother will produce a substance called 'pap', which the baby eats. This is a specialised form of faeces ('crap'!) which is soft and runny and allows the mother to pass on micro-organisms present in her own digestive system which are essential for the digestion of eucalypt leaves. It is a bit like the way a human baby eats mushy foods when it starts to eat solids.

Breeding

Koalas breed once a year, with mating usually occurring from September to March.

Females start breeding at 3-4 years of age. Males will collect a small harem of females and guard them closely within his own territory from other rival male koalas.

Gestation (the time between conception and giving birth), usually last for about 35 days.

After this the hairless and blind koala 'joey' is less than one inch long and weighs less than a gram, but still manages to crawl into its mothers backward opening pouch completely unaided, relying on its sense smell, strong forelimbs and claws.

The joey will stay in the pouch for the next six months attached to one of its mothers' two teats. At about 3-4 months the joey opens its eyes and after about 6 months it will stick its head out of the pouch for the first time

Identification

Just in case we didn't know……. A koala has fine, wooly fur that is light to dark grey with brown and white patches. It has a flattened nose and small eyes and a tail that is reduced to a stump.

General Info:

• Due to the koala fur trade and the decimation of their habitats through land clearance, the koala was extinct in South Australia by the late 1930's (although this is currently not the situation as many koalas can be seen in the Adelaide Hills). Due to growing concerns about the koalas long term survival, 18 adults plus offspring were introduced to Flinders Chase NP in the 1920's where they thrived (to say the least).
• There is limited optimal koala habitat on KI and consequently these areas are literally overrun by the creatures. This has caused serious dieback of eucalypt trees and has lead to the implementation of several strategies to control koala pops. on the island. These include sterilization, translocation of koalas back to the mainland and restoration of koala habitat on the island.
• It is thought Koalas can live to a maximum age of approximately 20 years
• Notice the rump of a koala - it is extremely tough. This is necessary when most of the day is spent sleeping in the fork of a tree.
• Koalas are mostly nocturnal animals, thus they are most active between dusk and dawn.
• Some people think the koala sounds like a pig when it makes noise.

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