Koala

Koalas are indigenous to Australia and are considered a totemic species. The word ‘koala’, in the Aboriginal language, is thought to mean ‘no drink’ or ‘no water’.

Eucalyptus trees play a very important role in koala’s lives. as they only feed on eucalyptus leaves. These leaves are actually poisonous, but Koalas have special digestive systems that take out the poison and flush it down their liver. A lot of energy is needed to digest eucalyptus leaves. Koalas actually sleep around 18 to 22 hrs a day and they need this time to digest the food.

They have pouches in their mouth to store food, so when they do not have access to eucalyptus leaves, they just eat the food they store in their pouches. They also get water from the eucalyptus leaves as the leaves have water in them.

They have 5 fingers on each paw. Two of the fingers move like thumbs. That is how they can hold on to branches which make them amazing climbers. They are mostly nocturnal as they sleep during the day and stay up at night.

You might be thinking that koalas are related to bears. But they are actually related to wombats.

Did you know, koalas fur differ depending on where they live. Urbanization, skyrocketing deforestation, and bushfires are endangering these vulnerable marsupials. though they are not considered endangered, their population is reducing.

A koala hospital and new wildlife reserves are the focus of one of Australia's boldest plans to protect these animals. Special measures have also been put in place to help drivers avoid koalas that stray onto highways, including better signs. Tunnels and specially-made bridges have also allowed wildlife to traverse roads while avoiding cars and trucks.