Botanist Robert Brown wrote the first detailed scientific description of the koala in 1814, although his work remained unpublished for 180 years. The first recorded encounter between a European and a koala was in 1798, and an image of the animal was published in 1810 by naturalist George Perry. They were hunted by Indigenous Australians and depicted in myths and cave art for millennia. Koalas have few natural predators and parasites, but are threatened by various pathogens, such as Chlamydiaceae bacteria and koala retrovirus.īecause of their distinctive appearance, koalas, along with kangaroos, are recognised worldwide as symbols of Australia. These young koalas, known as joeys, are fully weaned around a year old. Being marsupials, koalas give birth to underdeveloped young that crawl into their mothers' pouches, where they stay for the first six to seven months of their lives. Males mark their presence with secretions from scent glands located on their chests. Adult males communicate with loud bellows that intimidate rivals and attract mates. They are asocial animals, and bonding exists only between mothers and dependent offspring. Koalas are largely sedentary and sleep up to twenty hours a day. This eucalypt diet has low nutritional and caloric content and contains toxic compounds that deter most other mammals from feeding on it. Koalas typically inhabit open Eucalyptus woodland, as the leaves of these trees make up most of their diet. These populations possibly are separate subspecies, but this is disputed. Koalas from the northern populations are typically smaller and lighter in colour than their counterparts further south. Fur colour ranges from silver grey to chocolate brown. It is easily recognisable by its stout, tailless body and large head with round, fluffy ears and large, spoon-shaped nose. The koala is found in coastal areas of the mainland's eastern and southern regions, inhabiting Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, and South Australia. It is the only extant representative of the family Phascolarctidae and its closest living relatives are the wombats. The koala ( Phascolarctos cinereus), sometimes called koala bear, is an arboreal herbivorous marsupial native to Australia.
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