Kuala animal biography. How the marsupial bear lives and what it eats
Koala is a completely touching, unusual and unique animal.
What continent does the koala live on?
The marsupial koala bear is a symbol and endemic of Australia and, due to its rare beauty, lives in nature reserves and is listed in the Red Book. The bear resembles a plush toy that you never want to let go of. The touching animal was discovered by Europeans in the 19th century and has since been considered the most popular on the entire planet.
General characteristics of the koala
Despite the fact that the koala is called the Australian bear, the animal has nothing to do with formidable animals. Representatives of herbivores belong to the family of marsupials. The appearance of the animal is quite unusual: thick and short hair of a gray or smoky shade, white abdomen, light weight (up to 14 kg) and a body length of about 85 cm. The koala has poor eyesight due to small and blind eyes. This loss is fully compensated by excellent hearing and smell. Animals have large ears located at the edges of the head and a flattened black nose.
Nature made sure that koalas easily ate grass, creating an ideal tooth structure for this process. A feature of bears is their front tenacious paws and long claws, allowing the animals to move freely and live in trees. Animals have interestingly developed limbs: the front ones have two two-phalangeal thumbs and three standard ones (with three phalanges). Back - have one thumb and four ordinary fingers (without nails). Koalas also have a small tail that is almost invisible under their fur.
Animal lifestyle and nutrition
Koalas are dark-loving animals that prefer to sleep on tree branches during the day. Marsupial bears are calm, phlegmatic, good-natured animals. Koalas love a solitary, even reclusive life and only bond for the purpose of reproduction. Each animal has its own separate territory, which is unacceptable to violate, otherwise an aggressive reaction may follow.
Koalas are vegetarians. They love to eat eucalyptus leaves, shoots and other plants. Many herbivores are not interested in these types of flora, as they contain a small amount of protein and hydrocyanic acid. An adult animal can eat up to 1.1 kg of leaves per day. Koalas drink very little, and for some, enjoying the morning dew is enough to quench their thirst.
Koalas are considered sedentary animals, which is explained by the low metabolic rate in the body. However, marsupials are capable of running and jumping superbly from one tree to another.
Many herbivores cannot eat eucalyptus because it contains poisonous substances in destructive amounts. In the body of koalas, negative compounds are neutralized, and the bears feel great.
Koalas are peaceful animals. At the same time, they cannot boast of a safe life. Marsupials often get sick, including sinusitis, cystitis, periostitis of the skull and conjunctivitis. Many cities have special centers where sick animals are treated.
Australian bears are motionless or eating almost all the time. They prefer to be alone, because they practically do not make sounds. However, if necessary, animals can scream and even growl.
While pressing the animal to the tree, thermoregulation occurs. For example, in the heat, koalas climb acacia, as this is the coolest tree.
Mammals have unique patterns on their fingertips, making them identifiable.
Koala breeding
Male marsupials have a bifurcated penis, while females have two vaginas with a corresponding number of wombs. Despite this, the koala, as a rule, is born one cub.
The breeding season for bears begins in October and lasts until February. Females choose their own partner. The selection criteria are influenced by the size of the male and the loudness of his call. In nature, there are much fewer males among koalas than females. Therefore, one male can have a relationship with three or five females.
Koala bears a cub from 30 to 35 days. It is extremely rare that two bear cubs are born. Interesting fact that a female can become pregnant only once every two years. At birth, koalas do not have hair and in the early days are under the full care of their mother (drinks breast milk and sits in a bag like a kangaroo). Over time, the cubs climb the mother's scruff, reliably clinging to the wool. By the end of the first year of life, young koalas are ready for independent existence, but for several more years they are near their mother. In the future, the bears leave their home forever and go on a "free swimming".
Koalas are amazing animals that can feel and experience pain just like humans. They can cry loudly and angrily, which is accompanied by trembling.
Video about koala
Koala is a cute small animal that lives only in Australia. Belongs to the marsupial family. This animal consumes little water, and therefore such a name, the word "koala" means "does not drink."
The generic name of the koala from Latin means marsupial bear. But this beast has nothing to do with bears, only outwardly it looks a bit like a fluffy bear. Look at the photo of the koala animal, they look very impressive.
The koala is considered one of the symbols of Australia. In ancient times, they were killed for their furry skins. Also, the destruction of the eucalyptus subjected the koala to extinction. Later, a ban on hunting this animal was introduced.
Description
The body of the koala is short 70–85 cm, weight 7-12 kg. The head is large, round, with miniature eyes and fluffy ears, the nose is black, not covered with hair. The tail is almost invisible, it is also fluffy.
Everyone knows the color of the koala, the hair on the back is gray or brownish, on the chest it is white. The hairs on the edges of the ears are white. In the northern part of Australia, koalas have less fluffy fur. Males are larger than females, their muzzle is wider, and their ears are smaller.
The lifestyle of the koala is sedentary, so it is well adapted to this. The body is covered with thick fur, thanks to which the animal is protected from bad weather and temperature changes. This is important because koalas live in trees around the clock and do not have any shelters.
Note!
The paws have nails that are strongly curved for ease of movement along tree trunks.
A koala has thirty teeth. They are adapted to eating eucalyptus leaves with a lot of fiber.
The brain of a koala in relation to the body is two tenths of a percent, which is very small compared to other animals. This is due to the low-calorie food of animals.
How does a koala live in nature?
Koalas spend most of the day sleeping, up to twenty hours. The rest of the time is spent feeding and moving around. Animals descend to the ground very rarely.
Sleep in koalas takes place during the daytime. Koalas have slow and lazy movements. But if there is any threat, the koala can move very quickly.
Note!
Koalas rarely live in pairs, they are solitary animals. Sedentary lifestyle. Every animal has favorite trees for food.
The life of a koala can reach 10 years in nature. More in captivity.
What do koalas eat?
Eucalyptus has evergreen leaves, so koalas feed on them all year round. In one day, an adult koala can eat up to 500 grams of food. The animals do not feed on all types of eucalyptus, but only 30 out of 600.
For many herbivores, eucalyptus is poisonous and harmful. The koala is an animal with adaptations due to which eucalyptus leaves are digested and assimilated in the body. Such food is low-calorie, so the animals sleep almost all the time.
procreation
There are 7-9 females per male. Sexual maturity occurs at the age of two years. The mating season takes place in late spring. This can be understood by the loud roars of males.
Note!
In one year, the female brings 1-2 cubs. Gestation lasts 30-40 days. The weight of the cub is half a kilogram. The cub develops for half a year in the mother's pouch. Then the mother begins to wear it on her back.
The baby koala animal becomes independent at 11-12 months, but continues to live next to its mother.
conservation in nature
Koalas have almost no enemies. Firstly, predators do not prey on them, due to the fact that their meat smells like eucalyptus. Secondly, there are no tree predators in Australia, and koalas live on trees almost around the clock.
The number of koalas in nature can be up to one million. Nobody did the calculations. The main problem of the disappearance of koalas is deforestation, up to 400 thousand hectares of forest are destroyed every year.
What is useful and what is harmful
The koala animal is cute and kind, but it can harm a person and also help.
Koalas are very popular in zoos. You can see many photos of koalas and people together. But breeders often experiment on these animals.
Koalas do harm not on purpose, but only because of a lack of food. They can get out on the road, which leads to traffic accidents, the color of the koala is gray, so they can sometimes be overlooked.
Koala is an unusual animal that is not fully understood.
Photo of a koala
Koala is a marsupial animal of the infraclass family Marsupials, families and genera Koalas. Scientists have not yet fully figured out what kind of animal a koala is: a bear, a raccoon, or someone else. The koala, or Australian bear, is the only animal that eats only eucalyptus leaves.
What does a marsupial bear look like?
Few people have seen a koala live, but many have seen videos and photos with this animal. The koala actually looks a bit like a bear cub. For example, the tail of a koala is the same as that of a bear - small, which is almost invisible on the body. However, it cannot be confused with any other living being.
Koala is a rather small animal: for example, the weight of a marsupial bear is from seven to twelve kilograms. Usually the coat of a koala is short, but thick, gray in color. On the abdomen, the animal has a lighter coat. The eyes of the koala are small, but the ears and nose are large. The claws on the paws are sharp and long. They are needed by marsupial bears in order to easily move through the trees.
Koala habitats
Koala is a marsupial animal, and it lives, of course, in Australia, as well as on neighboring islands (except Tasmania). Marsupials choose their places closer to the water, as there are tropical forests - the traditional habitat of koalas. Marsupials live in the south, east and slightly north of mainland Australia.
The photographer caught a rare moment when a koala decided to “wet his throat” in a country pool. The koala lives in humid subtropical, tropical and subequatorial forests, where a lot of eucalyptus grows - the only food source for the koala.
About the nutrition of marsupial bears
The koala feeds only on eucalyptus, despite the fact that this plant contains hydrocyanic acid, poisonous to animals. The fact is that this animal is less susceptible to its action. Moreover, nature even came up with a kind of protection for them: in different seasons of the year, koalas eat different types eucalyptus (at certain times, these types of eucalyptus contain less hydrocyanic acid than others). However, sometimes a koala can still get poisoned by eucalyptus leaves.
Contrary to popular belief that koalas never drink, these animals, although not often, find water sources and drink it.
Koala breeding
Koalas, which always live alone, gather in groups only during the breeding season. Most often, such a group consists of one male and two to five (and sometimes more) females. Koalas mate in trees. Koalas breed once a year or once every two years.
Pregnancy of marsupial bears lasts about a month. Usually only one cub is born, about 1.5 cm long and weighing no more than 6 g. Since the koala is a marsupial animal, the bag is used for quite a long time when carrying a child - about six months. At 30 weeks, when the cub has grown a little, he can already eat the liquid excrement of his parents (this is necessary, since they contain the necessary substances for normal digestion). After a while, koalas grow up completely and begin to live their own lives.
Features of koalas
What is so special about a marsupial bear? He has many interesting abilities and differences from other living beings.
The koala is endemic to Australia. In other words, apart from Australia and neighboring islands, the koala does not live, only in zoos. In addition, due to its adaptability to exclusively climb trees and eat eucalyptus, the marsupial bear is slow and calm enough.
Another interesting feature of koalas is that they give birth to very small cubs, having a much larger body size and weight. It's amazing that eight-kilogram parents can have children the size of a bean seed!
Enemies of koalas
Koala is an amazing animal: in nature they have no enemies! Why did it happen? There are several reasons for this.
Firstly, marsupials are found in Australia and live in trees, but there are no tree predators on this mainland that can harm koalas. Secondly, the koala feeds exclusively on eucalyptus leaves, which are not harmful to the animal, but can be dangerous for other animals that want to eat the marsupial bear.
What is useful and what is harmful koala
Koala is a very good-natured creature that can both help a person and harm him.
The main benefit of koalas is that many children, and sometimes adults, love them very much in zoos. Scientists often experiment on these animals. Thanks to this, charming creatures are protected by law from shooting and poaching for valuable fur.
Alas, koalas can harm people. When there are too many marsupials and they do not have enough food, they are able to move closer to people's homes and even cause accidents. Despite this, the koala is a very interesting animal that has not yet been fully studied by scientists.
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You just want to take these lovely little animals in your arms or at least just touch them: they are cute, funny and outwardly very similar to a soft toy. Their appearance causes tenderness in absolutely everyone and wins hearts at first sight. Of course, these are koalas, the description of the appearance and habits of which truly deserve attention! Let's get to know these wonderful animals!
Bear or no bear?
Many mistakenly believe that the koala is a bear, and a marsupial! In fact, this is not entirely true. Koala is a marsupial animal that has nothing to do with bears, except that its appearance is painfully similar to a teddy bear. Scientists have not come to a consensus, but it is assumed that the koala is a wombat that evolved many years ago, which moved from the ground to a tree. But since it is still generally accepted that the koala is a bear, we will not dispute this fact.
Description
This animal looks very funny: it reaches a length of 82 centimeters, and weighs about 16 kilograms. The koala has large round fluffy ears and dense cheeks. The eyes are small, round, brown or amber in color. A funny black nose stands out noticeably - this is the only part of the koala's body that is not covered with hair. The marsupial has 4 fingers on each limb. The coat is dense, dense and unusually soft, gray on the back and light on the belly. The bag in which the little koalas are hatched opens back. These animals do not like haste, they are sort of phlegmatic people who live for their own pleasure. They like to sleep during the day and eat at night.
fatal defenselessness
The only natural habitat for these unique animals - which dearly loves these touching little animals. Another fact that makes it doubtful that the koala is a bear is its peaceful and completely non-aggressive disposition. This defenseless animal cannot stand up for itself. There was a time when koalas were mercilessly killed for their fluffy skins, which were in great demand and exported to other continents. In addition, these animals have weak immunity and poor adaptability to climate and environmental change.
In addition, koalas often die during fires that occasionally engulf eucalyptus forests. Animals frightened by fire, instead of fleeing to a safer place, only cling closer to the trunk of their native tree house, leaving themselves no chance to survive.
As a result, the number of koalas is rapidly declining, and today there are very few of them left - only about 80,000 individuals.
Menu for the marsupial
It is also interesting what the koala eats. These animals are very picky in food and do not eat anything except eucalyptus leaves, which are very low in nutrition - they have practically no protein. In addition, eucalyptus leaves are poisonous - their fibers contain phenols and terpenes, and can also cause almost instant death.
Why is this animal not poisoned by what it eats? After all, the koala chews poisonous eucalyptus all day long and feels great at the same time! The fact is that the animals eat only young leaves from those trees that grow along the rivers - in them the concentration of toxic substances is much lower. In addition, marsupials have a unique liver, which has a function that neutralizes poison. An interesting fact is that koalas practically do not drink water - the moisture contained in the leaves is quite enough for them.
Almost like people
Koalas live separately or in small families, which consist of one male and several females. In a word, harem. Koalas breed in the first half of autumn. Pregnancy of the female lasts about 30 days and ends with the birth of one cub, the weight of which is extremely small - only 6 grams! Only the mother brings up the baby - the father does not take any part in this time-consuming process.
A small koala lives in the mother's brood pouch for about 7 months and eats milk and gruel from half-digested eucalyptus leaves there. At the age of 7-8 months, the cub leaves its cozy little world and moves to her back. Koalas - very much to say, They patiently carry their grown baby on their backs for the next 5 months. In addition, the mother koala protects the cub from all sorts of misfortunes, and during sleep or dank weather, she presses her child to herself, warming him with her warmth. Baby koalas love to sleep in their mother's arms, and only after they are one year old do they begin an independent life.
Amazing animal - koala. Whether it’s a bear or not, it’s not exactly clear, but one thing is known: this marsupial does not rush into anything, including its own growing up: during puberty, the koala enters 3-4 years, and its total life expectancy reaches 20 years .
home, home
Despite the fact that koalas are easily tamed and very attached to those who care for them, keeping them in captivity is almost impossible - after all, they require 1 kilogram of fresh eucalyptus leaves per day! Moreover, koalas should not eat the leaves of those that grow, for example, in Sochi or in the Crimea. They feel good only at home - in Australia.
Due to the threat of the complete disappearance of cute fluffies, the government of the country took them under protection and assigned the status of vulnerable animals to koalas, the existence of which is under threat of extinction. Especially for these charming animals, eucalyptus groves are planted in parks. In addition, koalas are listed in the Red Book of Australia, and there is hope that the efforts of caring people will come true, and defenseless marsupials will delight the planet with their existence for many, many millennia.
Koalas are very ancient animals. They reached their diversity approximately 34-24 million years ago. According to archaeological data, at that time there were up to 18 species. The modern species appeared, most likely, 15 million years ago. There is a theory that tree kangaroos and koalas are descended from a common ancestor.
The first mention of this bear-like animal appeared at the end of the 18th century in Price J.'s report on a trip to the Blue Mountains.
- In 1802, the remains of a koala were sent for study by officer Barralier,
- In 1803, a living representative of the species was caught. After that, the newspapers placed his description.
- In 1808, they were finally identified as a species similar to wombats.
Appearance
Koalas are similar to wombats, but their fur is thicker and softer. The thickness of the fur reaches several centimeters. The color of the fur can be gray, reddish, and even have a red tint, depending on the area where the animals live. On the belly, the fur is always lighter than on the back. Large furry ears and small brown eyes are set on a rather flat front of the muzzle. The weight adult can reach 16 kilograms, and a height of 80 centimeters. The tail of animals is very similar to the tail of a bear - short and almost imperceptible. For your appearance they are often referred to as the marsupial bear.
Long limbs are adapted for climbing trees. So, the front paws have 2 fingers that oppose the other three. All fingers (except for large ones) end in sharp claws, which helps when climbing trees. In addition, such an arrangement of fingers on the front paws allows the cubs to cling tenaciously to the hair of adults. The hind legs also have one extended toe.
One of the most interesting features of these animals is the presence of fingerprints on the pads of their fingers. The papillary pattern is similar to the human one.
The teeth are similar to those of kangaroos or wombats. Sharp and strong incisors, like other marsupial herbivores, are adapted for cutting leaves.
In addition, the koala has a pronounced binarity of the genital organs. Females have two vaginas with two separate wombs, while males have a forked penis. In general, such binarity is characteristic of all marsupials.
It should be noted that during evolution, the brain of the koala has greatly decreased. At modern representatives of this species, the weight of the brain is only a few tenths of a percent of the total mass. In this case, the free part of the skull is filled with cerebrospinal fluid.
Lifestyle
Koalas are very slow animals. They spend most of their lives in the crowns of eucalyptus trees. As much as the koala sleeps, almost no one sleeps. Happy animals are quite passive. And even when they do not sleep, they sit motionless, firmly clinging to the tree with their claws. Thus, in a dream or in complete immobility, representatives of this species can spend up to 18 hours a day.
These animals are more active at night. In addition, if they cannot reach a new tree, they will very slowly and clumsily descend to the ground to cross. But they jump on trees very deftly and in case of danger they easily climb trees. Koalas also know how to swim, despite the fact that they drink water only during the drought period.
What do koalas eat
Scientists have long agreed that the slowness of this species is due to their diet. These marsupials eat exclusively leaves and shoots of eucalyptus. Interestingly, in different time year, koalas choose the safest types of eucalyptus to reduce the possibility of departure. Navigate to various types eucalyptus helps animals develop a sense of smell.
During the day, it is enough for a koala to eat up to 1 kilogram of leaves, which are carefully crushed and accumulated in the form of a herbal mass in bags located behind the cheeks. They drink very rarely, they get all the necessary moisture from the leaves.
How koalas breed
As a rule, female koalas live separately in their own plots, which they rarely leave. At the same time, in fertile lands, plots can overlap each other. Males do not defend their territories, but often fight when they meet hurting each other. In groups, these marsupials gather only during the breeding season, which begins in mid-autumn and lasts until the end of winter.
Males in nature are born less than females. There are two to five females per adult male. To attract attention, males:
- leave scent marks on trees;
- emit loud screams.
Mating takes place in trees. Like all marsupials, pregnancy in a koala lasts a very short period - about one month. As a rule, one cub is born, although there are very rare cases of the birth of two babies. The cub is born very small and stays in the pouch for up to six months, feeding on milk. For the next six months, the cub sits on its mother's back, clinging to her fur.
Females become independent at age 12 to 18 months, and males can stay with their mother for up to three years. This is due to the fact that puberty in males and females occurs at different times. Koalas rarely breed: about once every two years.
Today, zoologists are well aware of how many koalas live. In nature - up to about 13 years, although long-livers are known who lived to 20.
In nature, koalas are found only in Australia. And you can meet them only in the south or in the eastern part of the mainland. Kangaroo Island was artificially inhabited by koalas. In other parts of the world, this cute and harmless animal can be found only in zoos or private nurseries.
At the same time, if until the 19th century the population was practically not regulated by anything and animals died only because of diseases, droughts and fires, then in the 19th century, after the discovery of these animals, their mass extermination began. Hunting for koalas was associated with their thick fur, which was highly valued. In 1927, due to a sharp decline in the number of animals, the Australian government banned the hunting of koalas.
Another situation has arisen on Kangaroo Island, where koalas live, which were artificially settled there. In 2000, the overgrown population of these marsupials led to the depletion of the eucalyptus base, and therefore, by order of the authorities, a huge number of koalas were exterminated, as they were threatened with starvation.