Are there koalas in Australia. Where does the koala sleep. The main features of the koala
Now koalas live only in Australia - and even then not everywhere, but only in the southeastern part of the continent. Outwardly, they resemble small bear cubs: inactive with thick short hair of a gray-smoky or reddish color, small round, blind eyes, a flattened oval nose, a short tail and large widely spaced ears with long hair along the edges.
It is now that koalas are one of the symbols of Australia, and once European settlers quickly ousted them from the places of Australia and at the same time almost destroyed their soft fur coat with three centimeters of fur because of the rare beauty. But these animals appeared on the mainland more than 30 million years ago, and according to the beliefs of local aborigines, they were also once people.
How the animal appeared: the version of the natives
The ancient legends of the local natives tell about an orphan boy Kub-Bor (Tashy Bear), who, although raised by his closest relatives, did not like him very much, so they constantly offended him. The boy was taught to survive in the forest and get food. Therefore, he had no problems with food, but it was difficult with water, since Cour-Bor was constantly thirsty.
When one day all the adults went hunting and gathering food, forgetting to hide the buckets of water, a child saw them - and gradually drank all the contents, leaving the tribe without water. After that, he climbed onto a eucalyptus tree and began to sing a monotonous song, from which the tree, on the top of which he was sitting, began to grow extremely rapidly, and by evening it turned out to be the largest in the entire forest. And then the daens (natives) returned.
They did not find water, but found a child hiding in a huge eucalyptus tree. At first they could not reach Cour Bora, because the branches of the huge tree were extremely high. But then two of them managed to climb the tree. The boy was seized by them, beaten right on top of the tree, and thrown down.
Naturally, Kur-Bor crashed to death. But when the natives approached him, they saw that the boy gradually began to turn into a koala. Having completed the transformation, the animal came to life, rushed to the eucalyptus and climbed up.
The last words that the daens heard from the koala were that if he and his kind were killed in order to eat, it would only need to be cooked whole. If anyone disobeys, his spirit will come out of the carcass of the killed beast and severely punish the guilty - such a drought will come that neither people nor animals can survive it. Only koalas will survive, for which the moisture contained in eucalyptus leaves will be quite enough.
The koalas themselves, according to the beliefs of the natives, have not been drinking water since then. Their ancestor, being human, drank plenty of it. This belief arose for one simple reason: before, almost no one had ever seen these animals at a watering place.
Scientists version
It is believed that the koala family appeared more than 30 million years ago, and consisted of at least eighteen species (and some of them were thirty times larger than koalas). As for the "modern" animals, they are much younger. Their age is only 15 million years.
Europeans discovered this animal in the early 19th century. These were the remains of a koala found among the natives. Officer Barralier, who discovered them, alcoholized them and sent them to the Governor of New South Wales. A year later, not far from Sydney, the animal itself was caught.
At first, koalas were found only in the southeast of Australia, as well as in the south of the continent (but they were quickly exterminated there at the beginning of the 20th century in pursuit of profit). It is believed that these animals also lived in the west of the mainland, as evidenced by the remains found there.
Type characteristic
Scientists still have not really been able to determine what kind of animal the animal that lives in Australia belongs to. At first they thought it was a panda or a bear, then they decided that its relative was a wombat, a kangaroo or an opossum (all of them, like the koala, are herbivorous marsupials). But if the relationship still exists, then the researchers have not yet been able to trace their roots.
Animal Features
By itself, the koala is a medium-sized animal. The weight of a large male from the southern part of the continent is about fifteen kilograms, a female from the north is ten kilograms less. The average length of an adult koala is about eighty centimeters.
The marsupial sleeps on trees for about twenty hours a day. Active activity leads at night, climbing on the tops in search of leaves. During the day, even if the animal is awake, it sits motionless or sleeps, hugging the eucalyptus with its paws.
The animal has interesting characteristics that distinguish it from other animals, because of which it was assigned to a separate species.
Paws
The paws of the koala are ideal for climbing trees and allow the adult to grasp tree branches without any problems, and the baby to hold on to the mother's back. The animal sleeps only on eucalyptus, tightly clasping the tree with its paws:
- The koala has two grasping fingers on its front paws, located slightly apart from the rest;
- Three other fingers are along the brush;
- All fingers on the forelimbs have extremely strong claws;
- The thumb on the foot of the koala does not have a claw (unlike the other four).
- All koala fingers have fingerprints that are extremely human-like.
Teeth
The teeth of the animal are designed to chew grass. Therefore, their incisors are like a razor and are able to quickly cut leaves. The remaining teeth are grinding, they are separated from the incisors by a wide gap.
Mind and ingenuity
Alas, modern koalas are stupid. If the brain of their ancestors completely filled the cranial cavity, then in animals that have survived to this day, it is much smaller. According to one theory, this happened due to the fact that koalas feed mainly on eucalyptus leaves and shoots, which contain an extremely small level of energy.
Therefore, the brain of modern koalas is only 1.2% of their total weight, and forty percent of the cranial cavity is filled with cerebrospinal fluid. The lack of intelligence negatively affects the life of the animals themselves. For example, accustomed to seek salvation in trees, they do not always consider it necessary to get down from them and run away from the fire. Instead, they only press closer to the eucalyptus trees.
Character
Koala is an extremely calm animal. He sleeps from 18 to 20 hours a day, the rest of the time he devotes to food. The koala lives on a tree, and descends to the ground mainly only in order to move to another eucalyptus, to which it is not able to jump through the air.
From eucalyptus to eucalyptus, they jump extremely easily and confidently. If they decide to flee, they are even able to go to a fairly vigorous gallop to climb the nearest tree.
Nutrition
As for the slowness of the koala not in an emergency, this is primarily due to its nutrition. It feeds only on the shoots and leaves of the eucalyptus tree. The metabolism of the koala is twice as slow as that of other mammals (except for wombats and sloths) - this feature compensates for the insufficient nutritional value of eucalyptus leaves.
The question of why koalas prefer eucalyptus leaves baffles many. Because eucalyptus leaves are not only fibrous and low in protein, but they also contain phenolic and terpene compounds and even hydrocyanic acid, which are extremely poisonous to almost all living organisms.
As for koalas, the deadly poisons that enter the bloodstream from the intestinal tract are completely neutralized by the liver. The animals have a very long caecum - almost two and a half meters (in humans - no more than eight centimeters). It is in it that poisonous food is digested. There are many bacteria in the intestines of koalas that process the leaves into compounds that are digestible for the koala.
On the day the animal eats about one kilogram of leaves, while crushing and chewing them very carefully. And interestingly, the resulting mass is stored in the cheek pouches.
Koalas do not eat leaves from every tree: their extremely good sense of smell allows them to choose only those plants where there are fewer poisonous compounds. Therefore, out of eight hundred species of eucalyptus, koalas eat only one hundred and twenty. And then, when their nose tells them that the food has become too poisonous, they go looking for another suitable eucalyptus for themselves (if the koalas did not have the opportunity to change the tree in time, they often became victims of poisoning).
They give preference to trees that grow on fertile land - they are less poisonous. To compensate for the lack of minerals in the body, animals sometimes eat the earth.
Eucalyptus leaves for koalas are also a source of moisture. They drink water mainly during a drought or when they are sick. In Australia in Lately more and more often these animals are caught near their pools when they come to drink water.
Temperature
Koalas do not have a layer of subcutaneous fat that can protect them from the cold. Firstly, if the temperature is too low, they are rescued by wool (their fur is water-repellent), and secondly, in order to keep warm, their blood circulation, like in humans, slows down.
Communication
Koalas are considered almost the most defenseless and harmless animals in the world. They do not attack anyone and absolutely do not know how to protect themselves. If you hurt them, at best they will run away, most likely they will not hit back and bite.
But this animal can cry. And he can cry as long as the pain causes him discomfort. And the koala cries like a child - loudly, tremblingly and angrily. The same sound can also symbolize the presence of danger.
Koalas are surprisingly silent. Since they live quite far from each other, in order to communicate with their own kind, they use a fairly wide range of sounds.
Males, in order to show their social and physical position, grunt in a peculiar way, and thus find out which of them is cooler (they are not going to waste strength and energy on fights, and if this happens, it is quite rare). Females yell much less often, but sometimes they are able to express aggression with a roar-grunt, and also use this sound to express sexual behavior. But mothers and their cubs do not roar - they make quiet, quiet sounds, reminiscent of clicking (to “talk to each other”) or grumbling (if they are dissatisfied or annoyed with something).
Cries during the mating season
When the mating season begins, the males give such a loud calling sound that it can be heard for a kilometer. Interestingly, this sound is extremely loud and at the same time at a low frequency, which is not typical for small animals the size of a koala. They manage to publish it only with the help of the vocal cords that are behind the larynx.
The female chooses a groom for herself, based precisely on such invocative calls (in any case, preference is given to larger individuals). Despite the fact that the songs of the male remind us of the snoring of a drunkard, the angry grumbling of a pig or the creaking of rusty hinges, females are extremely fond of such sounds and attract them.
The better the koala screams, the more brides he will collect, since there are much more females than males. In one season, one male can have about five wives.
Offspring
Koalas breed once every one to two years. Females create a family already at the age of two, males - at the age of three or four years.
The mother carries the cub for thirty to thirty-five days. Usually only one baby is born, twins are extremely rare. The length of a small koala is from 15 to 18 mm, weight is about five grams, while it is hairless and completely blind. Immediately after birth, the baby climbs into the mother's pouch, where he spends the next six months. So that the cub does not get hurt and does not fall out, the “entrance” to the bag is not located at the top, like a kangaroo, but at the bottom.
At first, he feeds on mother's milk. Weaning from it gradually, and the transitional food is quite original: the mother regularly excretes special stools in the form of liquid porridge from half-digested eucalyptus leaves. The baby needs such food, because this is the only way to get the microflora he needs, since bacteria live in the mother's intestines that help the body cope with food that is indigestible for the child's stomach.
True, such a diet does not last long, after a month he begins to eat the leaves themselves, and at the age of seven months he moves from the bag to his mother's back. Finally, the grown koala leaves the mother's embrace in a year. But far from all leave: while young females go to look for sites for themselves, males quite often stay with their mother for up to three years.
dangers
Usually a koala lives from eight to thirteen years (although in captivity there have been cases when the animals lived to be twenty). Their number for some time (until the Australian authorities took up the solution of this problem) was declining very quickly. If at the beginning of the 20th century the number of koalas was 10 million individuals, then after a hundred of them only 100 thousand remained, most of which live in private territories. IN wild nature According to various sources, only 2,000 to 8,000 of them live.
In nature, koalas have practically no enemies - apparently, the animal soaked in eucalyptus aroma scares off enemies with its smell. Only people eat them, and wild dingo dogs can attack from animals, but this is also a rare occurrence, because koalas rarely go down, and dogs do not jump on trees.
More recently, these animals were on the verge of extinction. The main reason is human activity, as well as their extreme propensity to various diseases.
Diseases
Koalas are rather sickly animals - apparently, the monotonous diet affects. They are especially susceptible to cystitis, periostitis of the skull, conjunctivitis. Sinusitis often causes pneumonia in them, which at the beginning of the last century greatly reduced the population.
They kill animals, and the viral bacteria Chlamydia Psittaci, which are secretly considered the "AIDS" of koalas. They affect the ureter and eyes of animals, and if they are not helped in time, the disease will first lead to infertility, then to vision problems, and eventually to death.
Fur traders
Even before the beginning of the 20th century, a huge number of koalas (more than one million) were destroyed by fur traders, after which there were almost no animals left. And only then (in 1927) the Australian government banned the trade in koala fur, and three years later - to import their skins. This led to the end of the barbaric extermination of koalas, and their population began to gradually increase.
Deforestation
Due to continuous deforestation, koalas are forced to constantly go in search of new trees, so they have to go down. And they are not used to life on earth, because they move here with difficulty, so they become easy prey.
Cars
In connection with deforestation, koalas in search of a new home are increasingly on the tracks. Cars rushing at great speed frighten them extremely, the animals become numb (the so-called "koala syndrome" - males are especially susceptible to it) and stop moving or begin to rush along the road. According to statistics, about 200 koalas are under the wheels of cars every month - and, unfortunately, many of them die in the process.
At the same time, the authorities are trying to solve this problem in a rather interesting way: they are stretching artificial lianas over the highway, which connect eucalyptus trees on both sides of the highway. The koalas have appreciated this idea and willingly cross the freeway.
Dogs
Once on the ground and seeing a wild dingo dog, the koala does not understand all the danger, and does not run away to the tree. As a result, it often turns out to be torn apart.
fires
The trees that koalas love to live on contain eucalyptus oil, thanks to which fires flare up extremely strongly and cannot be extinguished for a long time. The fire has completely destroyed more than one population of koalas.
Pools
Many will be surprised to learn how many koalas die when they get into the pool. Contrary to the popular belief that they drink absolutely nothing, they still come to the watering hole, but often not to the source, but to a structure created by human hands, which does not have the usual slopes for animals. Despite the fact that they are excellent swimmers, koalas often drown when exhausted.
Drought
Due to drought, eucalyptus leaves turn black and dry, so koalas deprived of water often die of thirst, especially those who live far from artificial or natural water sources.
animal rescue
If it were for the inactive activities of animal rights activists, we would only know about the koala from the schematic drawings of their textbooks. They managed not only to push through several laws to protect these animals, but also to attract patrons who are ready to donate money to save the "teddy bears".
In Australia, parks and reserves were created, special hospitals were organized for these animals with the latest equipment and highly qualified veterinarians. This is not much, but it helps - about 4 thousand animals are saved a year. Survive about twenty percent of the animals that fell into the hands of doctors.
Life in captivity
As already mentioned, most koalas live in private estates, the owners of which have nothing against such a neighborhood. People are often captivated by the appearance of these cute fluffy animals, similar to teddy bears, and they tame them. Koalas, although they love solitude, they are extremely friendly. They become attached very quickly, and if the person they are used to leaves somewhere, then the animal cries. If you pester them too much, koalas are able to begin to defend themselves with teeth and nails.
Keeping a koala at home is not easy - those who want to get this animal will be required to provide it with at least one kilogram of fresh eucalyptus leaves per day, which is quite difficult. For example, in Russia, these trees grow only in Sochi, but this type of eucalyptus is absolutely not suitable for koalas.
The marsupial bear is one of Australia's most famous animals. Despite the outward resemblance to ordinary bears, this representative of the Australian fauna has nothing to do with them. The eucalyptus bear is found only in certain parts of Australia and few people have the opportunity to see this miracle of nature with their own eyes.
The marsupial bear is one of Australia's most famous animals.
Not every zoo can provide these animals with the amount of eucalyptus leaves they need. Koalas require special attention from humans, as they are an endangered species. Their numbers were raised only recently, when measures were taken to ban hunting and protect the eucalyptus forests that serve as a home for these amazing creatures.
The history of the development of the species
The marsupial bear is a two-pronged marsupial animal, which is the only living representative of the koala family. The modern eucalyptus bear is a small animal. The weight of adults varies from 5 to 14 kg. Females are usually smaller than males. In these animals, in the process of evolution, the body was ideally adapted for life on a tree and eating low-nutrient foliage. For a long time, these creatures were attributed to kinship with pandas, kangaroos and opossums, but this is not true.
Archaeological excavations in different parts Australia. Thanks to the fossilized remains, it became known that the first marsupial bears began to appear in this area about 30 million years ago. In those distant times, more than 18 species of koalas lived on this remote continent, and some of them were real and giants. They were 30 times larger than their contemporaries.
It is believed that the giant marsupials died out due to climate change becoming excessively arid, as the eucalyptus trees and some other plant species that they bypass began to rapidly disappear.
During this period, many marsupials died out, which successfully survived in the vastness of this continent for millions of years. Plush-looking modern koalas appeared in Australia only 15 million years ago. This species was the most successful, so it outlived its relatives. Koalas of Australia, unlike their ancient relatives, are distinguished by a relatively small brain. Scientists attribute this to the fact that animals eat low-calorie eucalyptus leaves and lead an inactive lifestyle, so they simply do not need a developed brain.
The marsupial bear is a binocular marsupial animal, which is the only living representative of the koala family.
These creatures have beautiful, rich fur. gray color, so they are difficult to detect in the foliage. They were first described in the 19th century, when there was an active development of a new continent. Because of their beautiful warm coat, by the beginning of the 20th century, koalas were almost universally exterminated. Their fur for a long time was perhaps the most valuable export product of Australia, which had an extremely negative impact on this species. In addition, their numbers were negatively affected by the widespread destruction of eucalyptus forests.
Among other things, attractive appearance and meek disposition, led to the fact that many people in the 20th century wanted to acquire such a pet. However, keeping a koala at home is almost impossible. These marsupial herbivores consume only the leaves of certain types of eucalyptus trees, so when trying to keep them at home, the animals, as a rule, quickly died of exhaustion.
Gallery: marsupial bear (25 photos)
Habitat of koalas in nature
The natural habitat of the koala bear is extremely limited. These amazing creatures are found mainly in coastal areas in the east and south of Australia. There is a small population of koalas in the north of the continent. In addition, koala bears are currently found on a number of offshore islands, where optimal conditions have been created for them.
Koalas feed exclusively on eucalyptus leaves, so their habitat is limited to humid tropical and subtropical forests, in which there are many trees that can become a food base for them.
The koala tree - eucalyptus - can only grow in regions with high humidity, therefore, only in certain regions can these animals flourish, which causes them to conflict with human interests. There are several types of eucalyptus trees that different time animals eat for years. This is no coincidence. The leaves of certain species of eucalyptus are distinguished only for a short period by a reduced amount of hydrocyanic acid.
Despite the fact that the koala bear can smell the degree of poisonous foliage by smell, poisoning in these animals is not uncommon.
Plush-looking modern koalas appeared in Australia only 15 million years ago
In addition, it is known that out of almost 800 species of eucalyptus, only 120 species can feed on the leaves and bark of the koala. Vast areas of forests in southeast Australia were cut down in the 20th century, which adversely affected the life of the koala. To increase their numbers, these animals were brought to a number of coastal islands with dense eucalyptus forests, where marsupials are less subject to anthropogenic influence, which allows them to gradually increase their numbers.
The islands where koalas have been settled by humans include:
- Yanchep;
- Kangaroo;
- Tasmania;
- Magnetic island.
Thanks to conservation measures, the habitat of this species currently exceeds 1 million / m². Despite the fact that even in the middle of the 20th century these unique animals could have become extinct, now their numbers are gradually recovering.
Koala in the wild in Australia (video)
Reproduction and habits of koalas
The Australian eucalyptus bear leads a hidden lifestyle, so little was known about their behavior for a long time. These creatures are covered with thick fur 3 cm long, which makes them invisible in the foliage. During the day they eat about 1.5 kg of young leaves and bark of eucalyptus trees. Approximately 18-20 hours a day, these creatures sleep. It is currently unknown how long koalas live in their natural environment habitat.
In captivity at creation optimal conditions Koalas often live up to 18 years. In their natural habitat, koalas have no enemies, so they do not know how to defend themselves. Despite the fact that koalas have long claws and strong prehensile paws designed for climbing trees, when attacked, these animals simply do not know what to do. When severely frightened or injured, the koala makes a sound similar to the crying of a human child. In addition, koalas can cry.
For most of the year, koala bears are extremely silent and try not to give out their location in the thickets of eucalyptus, but everything changes during the breeding season. At this time, the males begin to make inviting grunting sounds, demonstrating their strength. Considering that colas usually live nearby, since their habitat is quite limited, this method is very effective. Koala females are ready for breeding as early as their second year of life. Mating occurs 1-2 times a year. Males can mate at 3-4 years of age. During the breeding season, male koalas can engage in fights, inflicting serious injuries on rivals with their claws.
Females ready for mating listen to the calls of roaring males and choose the largest representatives. Pregnancy in female koalas lasts from 30 to 35 days. Koala cubs are born very underdeveloped, so they can look very strange by human standards.
After the birth, the bear cub, which has only developed front legs, clings to the mother's thick fur, crawls into the bag, where it begins to feed on milk. At this time, its weight is about 5 g, and the length varies between 15-18 mm.
Koala bears are marsupials. Their offspring are fed in a bag for 5-6 months. After the calf leaves the pouch, it continues to travel on its mother's back for about 6 months. Thus, a koala with a cub is a common occurrence. At this time there is a transitional period.
The mother begins to feed the cub with undigested litter from eucalyptus leaves, which contains the bacteria necessary for the bear cub, which are involved in digestion. Usually females stay with their mother for about a year, after which they begin to search for their own territory. Males can stay with their mother for about two years, as they lead a predominantly nomadic lifestyle and are not tied to a specific area.
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In the depths of the eucalyptus forests, you can meet a very cute and cute animal - a koala. Marsupials live in Australia and were artificially populated on the local Kangaroo Island.
This is a herbivore, which, according to many, got its name from the language of the natives.
“Koala” means those who do not like water. However, the cubs love water, but they drink it in an unusual way - they collect dew from eucalyptus leaves.
This name was introduced by the French zoologist Blainville. At first, the inhabitants of the continent called the koala simply "tree bear".
Appearance of koalas
Outwardly, koalas look like large wombats or like small bears. They have long, thick fur that is soft to the touch. Elongated legs help them to easily move through the trees.
Koalas have large rounded ears and arched claws with which they can hold up to 15 kg. The upper paws have a brush consisting of 2 parts - this is very convenient for moving through the trees. The lower legs are shorter and less developed, but this is not a fault.
Interestingly, koala fingerprints have the same structure as humans. Their teeth are about the same as those of kangaroos and wombars. These are sharp and strong incisors that easily cope with leaves.
One of the interesting features of these animals is the binary reproductive system. Females have 2 vaginas, while the male has a bifurcated penis.
Such a device of the reproductive system is typical for all marsupials, but it causes great delight among lovers of the animal world.
Koalas have very small brains. Its weight does not exceed 0.2% of the bear's body weight.
According to scientists, it used to be larger, but in the process of evolution it decreased in size. This is due to the small selection of food, which is mainly vegetation.
Thus, it is one of the marsupials with the smallest brain. Outwardly, for example, in the photo of koalas, it is impossible to distinguish, because the head is quite proportional to the body.
On average, their life expectancy is about 15-20 years. Koalas practically do not make sounds. The most frequent occurrence is the calling call of males during the mating season.
How do koalas live?
The main part of the life of the cubs are in the trees. Basically they choose eucalyptus. For more than half the day, koalas are very passive. They can spend up to 12-16 hours in the same place, while being practically motionless.
Sometimes, when it doesn’t come out to get to a neighboring tree, a koala can descend to the ground and reach it, but this happens very reluctantly and one can say that the animal is “lazy”.
It is worth noting that in case of need (say danger), they can move quickly enough and jump to other trees.
If necessary, they can even swim, but under normal conditions they do not, keeping calm.
According to experts, this behavior is directly shaped by what koalas eat. It doesn't take much effort to get food. It is in abundance on the trees, so koalas do not need to move quickly.
In addition, their main diet is eucalyptus leaves, which inhibit all processes in the body. It takes to digest a large number of energy. Eucalyptus shoots also contain poisons. The competition for such food is minimal.
In addition to koalas, only opossums and flying squirrels feed on eucalyptus. In the absence of a struggle for food, cubs can afford such imposing behavior.
What color are koalas?
They have a color that is similar in all individuals, but may have its own characteristics. Their fur can be several color schemes brown and grey.
The color of the koala helps them to camouflage themselves in the canopy of the tree. Given that they can be stationary for long periods of time, they can be quite difficult to spot.
Reproduction and social order
Koalas live alone, they do not create families and prefer to be on their own. They also do not have a separate protected area.
Sometimes, in some photos, koalas are gathered together - the animals are preparing for the mating season. They form small groups of up to 5 individuals. Each group has 1 male. It attracts females with a secret that remains on the branches after rubbing against it with the breast.
The criterion for choosing a male is not only the smell, but also the call of males.
Having picked up the most suitable male, the female agrees to mate. It goes on a tree. Already 4 weeks after conception, a cub is born. Sometimes females have twins. Most often, girls are born.
Photo of a koala
The tree animal koala is considered the personification of the whole continent - Australia, is found only on this mainland and is closely associated with it. It has extremely interesting features of appearance and behavior. This is a medium-sized, dense creature about 70 cm tall, resembling a small bear in appearance.
The weight of even impressive males usually does not exceed 14 kg, but some females are much smaller and have a mass of only 5 kg. Like many endemics of their continent, koalas are marsupial mammals, that is, they have a special skin bag on their belly, in which mothers carry their cubs.
The body of such animals is covered with soft thick fur, the length of which is about 2 cm or a little more. Its shade can be the most diverse and depends on the habitat. On the back, it is always darker: red, red or gray-smoky. But the tummy is usually lighter in color.
Koalas are distinguished by a flat muzzle, large head, small eyes and mobile, furry, rounded ears. In addition, they have an inconspicuous tail due to their small size.
A very important element of the appearance inherited by these woody animals from nature is their mobile paws with powerful, strong claws, allowing them to skillfully climb trees. Tenacious limbs are developed in koalas from a very early age, when the cubs, grabbing their mother's back, are not lost, thus following the route of movement, as a whole with her.
Extremely remarkable is the structure of the fingers of both limbs. The front of them are equipped with a pair of grasping fingers, located apart from the others.
Only four fingers on the hind legs are endowed with claws, unlike the big one, which does not have such a sharp tip. Interestingly, like a human, all the fingers of a koala are marked with individual patterns of pads - prints.
Now the koala in Australia is considered pride and one of its symbols. But other times are also remembered, when European settlers were just settling in this continent. They were then extremely attracted by the rare beauty of the fur of such creatures. And for this reason, the population of animals, which were ruthlessly hunted, was subjected to significant extermination and was pushed out of their habitual habitats.
To date, such animals are found mainly in the southern and eastern regions of the mainland. In addition, according to scientists, the modern descendants of these representatives of the fauna of the continent have significantly degraded in comparison with their ancestors.
The volume of their brains also decreased, which had a very negative effect on their intelligence, moreover, even on their natural self-preservation skills. For example, modern koalas, accustomed to seeking salvation from any trouble on trees, during the hours of spontaneous fires do not even realize that it is more reasonable under these circumstances to get off them and run away. Seeing the fire, they only tremble and cling to the trunks of eucalyptus trees, among which koalas live, for some reason looking for salvation in them.
Although the koala is called a marsupial bear, or an Australian bear, due to some external similarity, it has nothing to do with real bears, the koala and the bear are not even distant relatives. The koala belongs to the marsupial family, which is represented by three species: koalas proper, wombats and kangaroos. The wombat is the closest relative of the koala.
The appearance of the koala is very unusual. Its coat is short and thick, usually gray, smoky colors, but there are koalas that have brown shades. But her belly is always white.
The body length of a koala is 60-85 cm, with a weight of up to 14 kg.
The eyes of the koala are small and blind, vision is not its greatest advantage, but the poor eyesight of the koala fully compensates for its excellent hearing and sense of smell. The large ears of the koala are located at the edges of its head and are also covered with hair. Also, the koala has a large flattened black nose.
Koala teeth are ideal for eating plants, however, all marsupials, including wombats, these closest relatives of koalas, have a similar structure of teeth.
And since koalas live mainly in trees, nature gave them tenacious front paws with long claws (contributing to tenacity). Each front paw of the koala has two biphalangeal thumbs and three standard fingers with three phalanges. The hind legs are arranged differently - on the foot of the koala there is only one thumb, and devoid of nails, and four ordinary fingers. Thanks to their tenacious front paws, koalas easily cling to tree branches and in this position they dine, rest and even sleep.
Does a koala have a tail? Yes, there is, but only the tail of the koala is so short that it is practically invisible under the coat.
Few people can boast of having observed a marsupial bear live, but many have followed it through video or photographs. After all, the koala really resembles in its appearance a small and clumsy bear cub. For example, her tail is presented in the same form as that of a bear - just as small, it is almost imperceptible on the body of the animal. Despite this, the koala simply cannot be confused with any other animal species. The appearance of this animal is quite unusual and memorable.
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Koala is a small animal. The weight of this animal can vary from seven to twelve kilograms. So, the fur of the animal looks thick and short, and the colors are grayish. In the abdomen of the animal, wool is common light color. The eyes of the animal are rather small compared to the shape of the head itself, and the ears and nose are large. The claws on the paws of the animal are long and sharp. The claws are mainly used by the koala for ease of climbing trees and clinging to trunks and branches.
Where does the koala live?
Koala is almost immobile for 18-20 hours
. During this period of time, the animal usually grabs tree branches tightly with its paws, dozes or crawls along tree trunks in order to find a new portion of fresh foliage. Also, the animal is able to chew the leaves, which, in the process of feeding, it folds into the inner region of the cheeks.
The animal jumps from tree to tree with one purpose, to find new food or to hide from pursuers. Another unusual skill of the marsupial bear is its ability to swim well in the water. The sluggishness of koalas is based on their diet, as it includes too little protein. To all this, koalas have a low level of metabolism, it is several times slower than that of other mammals.
It happens that in order to replenish the supply of useful trace elements in the body, koalas have to eat earth.
Growing a marsupial bear at home is almost impossible, as there will simply be nothing to feed it.
. In the southern part of the country, for example, in Sochi, there are eucalyptus trees, but there are no such varieties that koalas could eat.
The appearance of the koala is unique. A small animal, depending on gender and age, weighs from 7 to 16 kilograms.
The head of the koala is wide and large, the nose stands out and has a black back, the eyes are small, and the body of the animal is covered with fur.
The color of the koala is grey. The coat is short, thick and soft. Koalas live in Australia, where they spend their entire lives in trees.
That is why the paws of this animal are strong, and the nails are long and sharp. Phascolarctos (from the Greek - "bag") - this is how the genus of koalas is called in science. This name was proposed in 1816 by the French zoologist Henri Blainville.
Settlers from Great Britain who inhabited Australia at the end of the 18th century called the koala a bear, since the appearance of this animal is very similar to that of a clubfoot. To this day, out of habit, many refer to the koala as a species of bear, but this is wrong.
Interesting fact! 34-24 million years ago, the Phascolarctidae family was quite diverse and included 18 species of marsupial bears. Among them was also a giant - the Queensland koala Koalemus. It was almost 30 times larger than the modern koala.
The koala is a separate species that is the only modern member of the Phascolarctidae family. It belongs to the basal related wombats of the marsupial family.
There are a number of features of the koala that significantly distinguish it even from the endemics of Australia.
Firstly, the papillary fingerprint pattern of a koala is practically no different from a human one.
Another feature of the koala is that even a huge koala cub is always born the size of a bean grain and weighs 6 grams.
First, the cub stays in the mother's pouch for a long period, and then moves onto the back of the parent.
Since the koala lives in fairly calm places where there are no arboreal predators, its movements are smooth and calm. The koala sleeps on eucalyptus branches up to twenty hours a day.
Interesting fact! The sedentary lifestyle of the koala is due to the fact that the metabolism of this animal is quite slow. That is why koalas are capable of being stationary for three to four hours.
It is also interesting that, despite a rather relaxed lifestyle, in life-threatening moments, these animals are able to jump quickly and nimbly.
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.
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.
Where does the koala live
"Australian bears" live in the eastern part of the continent. It is there that eucalyptus trees grow - the favorite delicacy of these mammals. They spend almost their entire lives in their branches. They eat, sleep and contemplate the surroundings.
Long sharp claws help them to move, hold on to the trunk and not fall to the ground in a dream. An adult animal can weigh from 6 to 15 kilograms.
The koala lives on mainland Australia in its southeastern part, as well as on the nearby Australian islands.
Hundreds of years ago, this animal lived on the entire continent, but the settlers forced the animal out of its habitat.
The indigenous population of Australia is very kind to this cute animal.
Legend has it that the ancestor of the modern koala, which was gigantic in size, helped people get to the mainland.
The animal lives in the subtropical rainforests of Australia. Preferably, the habitat of koalas are locations near the water, where eucalyptus grows. The koala feeds exclusively on eucalyptus leaves.
This "bear" spends almost all his life in the crowns of this plant. The animal descends from the trees only to find another secluded place.
It's important to know! When koalas are kept in captivity and eat eucalyptus leaves forcibly, this can threaten the animal with poisoning.
The daily rate of eucalyptus, which the koala eats, contains a poisonous compound (hydrocyanic acid) in such an amount that could become an instant poison for any other animal. Zoologists suggest that it is precisely because of this that the koala is not a potential prey for predators.
They choose habitats for koalas in eucalyptus crowns, which grow on fertile soils. Their leaves contain less poison, but you need to find useful plant An excellently developed sense of smell helps the animal. The daily norm of eucalyptus leaves for a koala is 1 kg, and this animal practically does not use water.
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. Modern look 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.
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.
Than on the back. Large furry ears and small brown eyes are set on a rather flat front of the muzzle. The weight of an adult individual can reach 16 kilograms, and the height is 80 centimeters. The tail of animals is very similar to the tail of a bear - short and almost imperceptible. For their appearance, they are often called marsupial bears.
The teeth are similar to those of kangaroos or wombats. Sharp and strong incisors, like those of 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.
koalas- endemic to Australia, the original representatives of the Koalov family of the same name. Animals live on eucalyptus trees. They are only herbivores and true marsupials! They belong to the order of two-crested marsupials. The natural habitat is mainland Australia. And only its southern and eastern part. Previously, animals lived in the west and north, but this was before the arrival of Europeans on the mainland. Plus, koalas have artificially populated the territory of Kangaroo Island.
The proper name of a family of small marsupial bears appeared as a transliteration from Darak. The very word sounded like gula. But in the process of migrations through the wilds of English spelling, it began to sound like a koala. For a long time, the version was pedaled that the animals do not drink water, and their name, translated from the language of the natives, means exactly this.
Crap! Yes, it's CHEBURASHKA! :-)
From Latin, the generic name of animals sounds like Phascolarctos. It combined two Latin roots - a bag and a bag. The meaning and appearance of animals, this name of the genus of marsupial bears, conveys perfectly. The name was proposed by Henri Blainville, a French specialist in animal anatomy and zoology.
Another collision associated with koalas is caused by the external similarity of animals with representatives of bears. The first colonizers of the mainland, the British convicts, so they called them - a tree bear, a local bear, a koala bear. Although, in reality, real bears, koalas, and even people are united only by a common taxonomic unit - a class. IN this case- class Mammals. 
The koala family is completely identical to the wombat family. The peak of their heyday, like all marsupials, fell on the Oligocene. The work of paleontologists presented the world with about 18 species of various koalas. In Australia, they found the remains of their giant counterpart, which is 28-29 times larger than today's typical animals. Common today, Phascolarctos cinereus has delighted natives, eucalyptus trees and Australia with its plush grace for the past 15 million years.
Their historical curiosities. Koala overlooked, the captain of all times and peoples, James Cook himself. In those days, he opened the mainland to the world for the second time. And he did it from the east coast, where animals are found in abundance. In the report of the expeditions, marsupial bears appeared in 1798. A certain John Price brought them there. And the scientific community got the remains of animals in 1802 in a jar of alcohol from the sailor Barrallier. He found the remains of an animal among the natives and became interested in them. A year later, a live animal was caught. He was described, drawn and placed, description with drawings, in the Sydney newspaper. It also revealed the identity between koalas and wombats.
The geography of the family is as follows: the maximum distribution of the species is observed in New South Wales, individual specimens are found in Victoria and Queensland. We used to meet, but koalas from the south of the mainland have not survived to our time. At the beginning of the Anthropogen, with a different climate, koalas could also be found in western Australia.
In appearance, koalas look like small bears or very large wombats at the same time. Only their fur is thicker, softer and longer. Large rounded ears and elongated limbs. Long curved claws help to hold a weight of 5 to 14 kg on tree branches. The limbs of koalas are ideally adapted to life in the crown of trees. The hands of the upper limbs are divided into 2 parts. In them, 2 fingers in 2 phalanges and 3 fingers in 3 phalanges, closing, create an inextricable lock that allows koalas to spend their whole lives in trees. Strong curved claws help them move better along, or migrate from one tree to another. The hind limbs are qualitatively weaker and shorter than the forelimbs.
As a curious fact, the presence of papillary lines on the fingertips can be called. It is curious that the fingerprints of koalas are very similar to the traces taken by forensic experts from people.
The teeth are typical of the group of two-incisor marsupials. Same pattern as kangaroos and wombats. Sharp incisors, excellent cutting leaves. A wide diastema separates them from the grinding teeth. The entire dentition is 100% adapted for herbivorous food.
Another characteristic feature of marsupials is the binary nature of the genitals. It is very clearly expressed in koalas. The bifurcated penis in males, the two vaginas that open the entrance to the two, clearly divided uterus, delight experienced and new zoologists.
A separate miracle is the brain of these animals. It is miniature, accounting for only 0.2% of the total weight of the animal. At the dawn of the evolution of the family, it was much larger and filled the entire internal cavity of the cranium. Due to the narrow specialization in the choice of food, the brain shrank, shrank and brought koalas into negative leaders in the parameter of brain size among the marsupial order.
Due to the specific way of life, animals are quite difficult to study. But in the zoo, some individuals lived up to 18 years.
They rarely make sounds when they are very frightened or injured. Sharp cries are emitted by males during the mating season. For the strength and power of this sound, females choose the most worthy partner for themselves.
Koalas spend almost their entire lives, except for various unforeseen circumstances, in the crown of eucalyptus trees. During the day they are passive, spend time either in a dream, or sit motionless, clinging to a tree with their front paws. Thus, they spend about 16,17,18 hours a day.
If it is not possible to reach the new tree from the old tree, the koala reluctantly and very awkwardly descends to the ground. But they jump from tree to tree deftly and gracefully. In case of danger, they quickly climb the first tree on the way. By the way, koalas can swim.
The general passivity of animals, according to scientists, is associated with the peculiarities of the nutritional regime.
Specialization exclusively in the leaves and shoots of eucalyptus manifested itself in a decrease in brain volume and some inhibition of all processes in the body. This is due to the orientation of the organism is not the digestion of poisonous, with phenolic and terpene compounds, eucalyptus leaves.
Interestingly, eucalyptus leaves contain hydrocyanic acid to one degree or another, which is a poison for any animal. Koalas are less sensitive to its action than other animals, but this does not mean that they cannot be poisoned. It’s just that koalas in different seasons of the year choose those types of eucalyptus in which the content of hydrocyanic acid is on this moment minimum. There are known cases of koala poisoning when they were deprived of the opportunity to change the source of food. Another prejudice is associated with the nutrition of koalas. As we have already said, it is believed that these animals never drink, but in fact, koalas, although infrequently, still drink water.
Koalas have practically no competitors for such food, except for the flying squirrel and the ring-tailed opossum. They, too, are marsupials and also like a small dose of hydrocyanic acid and phenol compounds for breakfast.
Although busting with poisons, animals avoid and choose plants with their reduced concentration. Those eucalyptus trees that grow near rivers are less poisonous on fertile soils. Of the 800 varieties of eucalyptus trees, only 120 species are eaten by koalas. A developed sense of smell helps animals to navigate the level of poisons.
Due to the aforementioned nutritional koalas the rate of metabolic processes is several times lower than that of ordinary mammals. Only wombats and sloths are just as slow and sluggish. In one day, a koala eats from 0.6 to 1.1 kg of eucalyptus leaves. Before swallowing, she crushes and chews them, and the chewed plant mass, as in a depot, “defends” for some time in her cheek pouches. Like all animals that specialize only in plant foods, marsupials in the lower sections digestive system there are many bacteria. This vital microflora helps to do an almost impossible thing - cellulose, which is not digested, it breaks down into digestible compounds. The caecum, in which the main enzymatic and bacterial processes take place, is highly hypertrophied. It reaches a length of about 2.4m. Poisons that are washed into the blood are then rendered harmless by the liver.
Although, one version of the origin of the animal's own name means "do not drink", but animals remove dew from leaves and squeeze moisture from eucalyptus leaves. In the event of a severe drought or with numerous illnesses, koalas are forced and reluctant to descend from the trees and go in search of water. The lack of minerals and other substances in the body, koalas are removed by eating the earth.
Koalas are loners by nature, both females and males. They don't have a clear territory. Only during the breeding season, animals gather in a kind of harems. They include one male and several females - from 2 to 5 pieces. They attracted females by the smell that remains on the trees, on which the males rub their breasts. In addition to smell, females respond to the strength and power of calling calls. Having chosen a male by smell and cry, females agree to mating, which takes place on a tree.
Pregnancy in koalas lasts 30-35 days. Most often it is one cub. More often females are born than males. Very rarely twins of koalas are born. Babies weigh 5.5 grams. Their length is up to 2 cm. After birth, they sit in a bag for six months, eat milk. In the last months, they get out of the bag and drive around the groves of eastern Australia sitting on their mother's back or stomach. At 30 weeks, the cubs begin to eat their mother's excrement. During this period, the female begins to excrete unconventionally liquid excrement. This is a long evolutionary path. It allows you to bring into the intestines of the cubs the microorganisms necessary for the process of digestion.
After a year, the females go in search of their personal plot with eucalyptus trees, and the males live near their mother for another 1-2 years.
Koalas breed only once every 1-2 years. Females enter puberty at the age of full 2-3 years, for males - at the full 3-4 years. On average, a koala lives 12-14 years, although there are cases in zoology when animals lived up to 22 years of age.
Before immigrants from Europe appeared in Australia, koalas died mainly from epizootics, various inflammatory processes, fires and drought, which is not uncommon in the tropical and subtropical climate zone.
In the 19th and 20th century, koalas began to be hunted because of their attractive color and fairly thick fur. In 1924 alone, 2 million koala skins were exported from the east of the country. Because of their gullibility and slowness, these animals were very easy prey for any hunters.
At the beginning of the 20th century, a global introduction of animals to Kangaroo Island was carried out. For a century, without natural enemies, in favorable climatic conditions, koalas have multiplied. The forage base was quickly depleted on a small island, and this caused concern among the government and environmentalists of the state of South Australia. The government was afraid to shoot the animals, because it could damage the image of the country.
Koala parks were created to study and popularize the species on the mainland. One near Brisbane, the other near the city of Perth, as well as on Kangaroo Island, where the animals were brought to the settlement. In Australia, they founded the Koala Foundation, which controls the state of the koala population, preserves its numbers and protects natural environment animal habitats.
In captivity, they show a touching affection for their caregiver, which is quite unexpected, because in general, koalas do not have a high level of intelligence.
Such cute habits leave no one indifferent, and koalas are well-deservedly popular with both adults and children. In zoos, koalas gather crowds of enthusiastic observers near their enclosures; they are a favorite object for making souvenirs and children's toys. But it was not always so. At the beginning of the 20th century, they were intensively hunted. Although koalas are not suitable for the role of an honorary trophy, because getting them on the hunt is no more difficult than shaking apples, they were massively killed for the sake of thick, pleasant to the touch fur. As a result, the population of these animals was reduced to a critical size, and only after that people changed their minds and began to breed them in captivity. Breeding koalas in captivity is not an easy task.
The main difficulty is that in zoos it is difficult to provide koalas with natural food - fresh eucalyptus leaves. Therefore, koalas are kept mainly in zoos located in areas with a mild climate, where it is possible to grow eucalyptus trees in open ground. The zoos of Australia and San Diego (California) have achieved the greatest success in breeding these animals.
sources
http://www.animalsglobe.ru/koala-ili-sumchatiy-medved/
http://www.proxvost.info/animals/australia/koala.php
http://shkolazhizni.ru/archive/0/n-27699/
