Everything You Need to Know About Koalas

The koala bear is an arboreal herbivorous marsupial native to Australia. It is the sole living representative of the family Phascolarctidae. Its closest living relative is the wombat. The koala is also an excellent cuddly pet, and its unique qualities make it one of the world's most beloved animals. To learn more about koalas, keep reading!

koalas are solitary animals

Koalas are solitary animals that rarely share their home ranges with other animals. They have large home ranges and mark them with scent glands on their chests. The male koala makes a distinctive call that can be heard from many kilometres away. Males also produce a low-pitched bellow when mating, which they use to attract females and warn off other males.

They live in well-defined home ranges

Unlike many animals, koalas have distinct home ranges, where they reside alone. Most koalas share only a single tree, and males have home ranges that are much larger than females'. During the mating season, males mark their home ranges with scent glands on their chests. The males also use their bellow to communicate with one another, most commonly to attract females, protect their territory from other males, or attract mates.

They have a long digestive tract

The digestive tracts of Koalas are relatively long, allowing the animals to eat large quantities of food during lactation. A high dietary intake during lactation is often a consequence of increased energy requirements, and the long digestive tract allows Koalas to meet these demands. The gastrointestinal tracts of koalas have been studied in various other animals, including free-living koalas. The digestive tracts of small mammalian folivores have been considered a limitation to the ability of the animals to meet their metabolic needs, largely due to their poorly digested diet of plants.

They communicate with each other using loud calls

It's hard to believe, but koalas communicate with each other through a range of loud calls. Their grunts and bellows can be heard for miles around! In fact, male koalas use them to mark their territory and signal their physical and social position. By making loud sounds, male koalas conserve their energy for fighting, and other animals can easily locate where they are by recognizing the sound of their grunts and bellows.

They are not very bright

Many scientists are unsure exactly how koalas are so intelligent. Despite having the smallest brains among all mammals, their behavior and intelligence are impressive. Unlike humans, koalas don't spend a lot of energy moving from their sleeping area to a food source. Koalas have difficulty adapting to the dangers of traffic and highways and use underpasses as a shortcut. However, their survival is under threat due to bush fires in Australia.

They have a speckled fur

There are two reasons why Koalas have a speckle-covered fur. One is due to the pap that their mothers produce. The pap is a sticky substance that the young ingest from their mothers. The other reason is due to their slow metabolism. Koalas can sleep up to twenty hours a day. They spend most of their waking hours sleeping, although they can move during the day if disturbed or if it is cold or hot.