Koala

Taxonomy

Kingdom- Animalia

Phylum- Chordata

Class- Mammalia

Family- Diprotodontia

Order- Phascolarctidae

Genus- Phascolarctos

Species- P. Cinereus

Subspecies

Northern Koala

A silvery grey colored fur and live in warmer temperatures. They tend to weigh less than Southern Koalas.

Southern Koala

They have a brown color to their thicker fur used for the cool weather.

Unique features

Koalas Ancestors and Closest living relative

Closest living relative- Wombat

Extinct Ancestors-

The Giant Koala- Went extinct 50,00 years ago

The Giant wombat- Went extinct 72,000 years ago

Marsupial Tapir- Went extinct 40,000 years ago

Hands

Their hands have large claws on five appendages, They have three fingers and two thumbs. They have fingerprints similar to humans.

Pouch

Marsupials have pouches that they hold their young. Koalas have a unique pouch that faces downward to their hind legs. the muscles are so strong that the joey won't fall out

Nose

they have thick flat leathery noses that are used for smelling the eucalyptus leaves. Eucalyptus leaves have toxins in them so they use their noses to detect the toxin levels.

Animal description

Weight- 9-33 pounds

Height- 2-3 feet

Lifespan- 13-18 years

Gender Differences

- Males have a large scent gland on the chest

- Females have pouches

- Males have generally larger bodies, faces, and noses

- Females have less fluff on their ears

Habitat

A Southern Koala climbing a gum tree

Rain- 558mm to 2000mm per year

Plants- Cycad palms, Gum trees (Eucalyptus), Wollemi Pine

Animals- Meadow mice, Gophers, Fox squirrels, Dingo, Goannas

Temperature- 6 °C to 22 °C

Terrain- Open forest, Woodland

Where can you find them

They're found in East Australia as well as in some of South Australia and Queensland

They are also not invasive whatsoever

Diet

Koala can branch out to lophostemon (Picture 1)but typically eat eucalyptus leaves (Picture 3). Even though the leaves don't have much nutritional value they do have a high water concentration. the koala have a special stomach acid that breaks down the leaves despite the toxins they contain. Koalas eat constantly throughout the day adding up to 3 hours.

Mating

Females mate every one or two years and give birth to one joey. Mating season lasts from August to February. the joey will leave the mother the breeding season after they're born. The males use mating calls to attract a fertile female. Both sexes have two of reproductive organs; Females have two vaginas as well as two uteri. Males have two penises to help with fertilization. Females may reject male suitors and try to impregnate each other with homosexual mating.

Development

Since koalas are marsupials, the females have pouches to hold their yound when they develop. At two weeks the joey attaches to a nipple inside the mothers womb while she uses her strong muscles to contract the opening to the pouch. These strong contracting muscels to ensure the joey won’t fall out. Th Mother gives birth at aroun 4-5 weeks. The joey stays in the pouch feeding from the mother nutrients for 6-7 months before emerging.

Male vs Female

females develop their pouches while males do not.

Females reach sexual maturity at around 2 years while males have a low success rate at 2. Males take about 3-4 years to gain a high impregnation rate.

Social Structure

koalas are independent creatures due to the young departing after just a year. They're known to not only be antisocial but also very territorial. Males use their scent glands located on the chest to mark their territory.

Causes of death

The young are most likely to be killed by the birds of prey while the fully grown fall prey to dingoes. Because males fight for mates, they're likely to not only die from the fight but also later on from accumulated injuries. Koalas do struggle with chlamydial which is a huge cause of death for them. Automobile accidents are also quite common.

Page updated

Report abuse