Kid Koala Education

Koalas probably first evolved on the Australian continent during the period when Australia began to drift slowly northward, gradually separating from the Antarctic land mass some 45 million years ago. As the climate changed and Australia became drier, vegetation altered until what we recognize as eucalyptus, or gum trees, evolved and koalas became dependent on them for food. The koala is not a bear, but a member of a specialized group of mammals called 'marsupials', which give birth to immature young and carry them in a pouch. Today, most marsupials are found in Australia and Papua New Guinea. An adult male koala can weigh between 8 and 14 kilograms and a female between 6 and 11 kilograms, with the heavier animals coming from the southern areas where they have adapted to the colder climate by an increase in body weight and thicker fur. Koalas are mostly nocturnal animals, most active during the night and at dawn and dusk, because in the cooler hours they are less likely to lose precious moisture and energy than they would during the hotter daylight hours. An average of eighteen to twenty hours each day are spent resting and sleeping, and the remainder for feeding, moving around, grooming and social interaction. The koala's sleepy state is due to a slow metabolic rate, an adaptation for handling a diet low in nutrition, and for conserving energy. The Koala's nose has a very highly developed sense of smell. This is necessary to differentiate between types of gum leaves and to detect whether the leaves are poisonous or not. They also need to smell the scent warnings put on trees by other koalas. Land development in their habitation is causing their food source to dwindle and is affecting their population. Losing the koala would be such a sad thing.