All Koala Facts & Stats you need to know

• A koala’s life expectancy is usually around 12 - 20 years, with an average of about 14 years.

• Koalas can weigh up to 10 kg (22 pounds). However, a koala’s weight usually lies between 4 and 7 kg (9 - 15 pounds).

• Koalas can reach a length of up to 35 inches (90 cm).

• Female koalas have a higher life expectancy than male koalas, similar to the human race.

• Koalas in the Southern part of Australia are usually considerably bigger compared to koalas in the North of Australia.

• Koalas communicate over long distances with distinctive sounds.

• Although koalas usually move quite slow, they can reach an astounding speed up to 17 miles an hour (27 km per hour).

• The biggest threats to koalas are global warming and the destruction of their natural habitats, both of them are mainly caused by humans.

• While koalas are not sensitive to cold weather, too hot weather conditions can be quite harmful to them.

• Koala Bears are not actually bears and are also not even related.

• The species that is closest related to koalas are wombats.

• Koalas belong to the family of marsupials.

• Koalas can only be found in the wild in Australia.

• Koalas often suffer from bushfires. Many Koalas die due to those fires since they are not able to rescue themselves from this natural enemy.

• In contrast to most other animals, koalas actually have finger prints.

• On average, a koala gives birth once a year.

• A koala’s pregnancy usually last for a little bit more than one month.

• Koalas are usually stay in their mother’s pouch for half a year.

• A baby koala is called a joey.

• At the time they are born, koalas usually weigh less than a gram.

• A newborn koala has the size of a bean, is hairless and also blind.

• Global warming is a big threat to koalas which may become endangered in the near future due to that.

• Koalas get most of the water they need to survive from leaves.

• Koalas mainly feed on Eucalyptus leaves.

• They can eat up to 1 kg of leaves a day.

• Koalas frequently change their trees they live in. Especially if they do not find enough food anymore, they are forced to leave.

• Female koalas usually prefer to mate with younger males.

• Scientists estimate that koalas even lived on our planet 20 million years ago.

• Over time, the koalas’ brain size decreased substantially. Scientists believe that this is due to their narrow diet which only provides limited nutrients.

• While most of the koalas have big black noses, there are also koalas with pink noses. And no, they are not drunk! 😉

• It is forbidden by law to keep a koala as pet.

• In the Aboriginal language, the term “koala” means “no water”. However, especially during heat waves, they also drink water from various sources.

• In order to be able to digest Eucalyptus leaves, koalas need a special digestion system since Eucalyptus is toxic to most animals.

• Even though most of them have grey fur, some koalas with white fur have been observed in the wild.

• Koalas sleep most of the time. In fact, they are unable to stay awake for more than 4 hours.

• Koalas are also nocturnal animals, meaning that they are usually only awake at nighttime.

• There are also homosexual koalas around.

• Koalas use trees to lower their body temperature on hot summer days.

• Scientists estimate that there are between 40,000 and 80,000 koalas left in Australia.

• Koalas can be regarded as endangered animals. If the rate of decline continues like it did in the past, they could be extinct in a few decades. Thus, it is crucial that the Australian government takes measures in order to protect the koala species.

Sources

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Koala

https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/k/koala/

https://www.wwf.org.au/what-we-do/species/koala

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