There's a lot to be said about koalas. interesting facts. Here are ten of the most original ones.
Koalas can hold food in their stomachs for more than eight days
This animal feeds on eucalyptus leaves. To get more energy from this plant-based diet, the koala ferments some of what it eats. Fermentation occurs not in the stomach itself, but in the intestines. In the process, bacteria destroy the plant mixture, which releases nutrients that are absorbed by the body. Despite this, koalas have a rather modest menu. These animals have developed a special digestive mechanism with a reduced metabolism, in addition, they have a relatively small brain size. This helps compensate for the lack of calories and nutrients in their diet.
Koalas only like thirty of the six hundred species of eucalyptus.
More than six hundred varieties of eucalyptus trees can be found in their habitats, but koalas only like to eat from about thirty of them. Animals usually choose species that are different increased content squirrel. Interestingly, koalas eat not only eucalyptus leaves, but also the foliage of other plants, such as acacia. However, they really prefer eucalyptus leaves to all others. From their food they get most the water they need. Female koalas can only survive on it. This is truly amazing! Male koalas sometimes drink a little. 
Koalas sleep twenty hours a day
If you thought that cats sleep the most, you were wrong! Cats sleep about sixteen hours a day, but koalas can nap for four hours more! The nature of this phenomenon is in a diet poor in nutrients. Koalas spend a minimum of energy, which leads to activity for a maximum of four hours, during which the animal feeds on foliage. The rest of the time is left for rest. Koalas don't usually go to sleep at any time. specific place- most feed and rest on the same tree. That's why it's so easy to photograph them, because they sit in the same place for hours and hardly move. 
Koalas only communicate for fifteen minutes a day
Sometimes communication takes so much energy! Koalas don't really spend it on things like social activity. At the same time, they do not have problems with neighbors - there are usually always permanent residents in one area, as well as those who wander from territory to territory. Despite their cute appearance, koalas can fight fiercely for the right to breed within their borders. At the same time, the animals make strange sounds. Mother koalas are particularly harsh.
The secretions from the gland on the koala's chest contain more than forty chemical elements.
Koalas practically do not communicate in real time, but they are able to leave information to each other using smells. When a male koala finds a new tree, he sniffs the bark to see if there are any marks left by other males. Then he climbs up and rubs his chest against the tree to mark it with secretions from a special gland. The composition of the secret is complex and includes forty different elements, each of which has a specific meaning and serves to convey information. Some males also mark the tree with urine. 
Koalas are born within a month after conception.
For some reason, many people believe that koalas are a type of bear. In fact, they are marsupials. Like kangaroos, they quickly give birth to babies, which continue their development in the mother's pouch. The cub is born blind and hairless. The mother's bursa protects the baby as it develops for the next six to seven months. The pouch also contains nipples - the cubs feed on milk. Unusually, before the cub leaves the pouch completely, the mother weans it off the dairy diet by feeding it a fermented plant mixture.
Koalas were discovered in 1798
Animals have lived in Australia for thousands of years. Aboriginal culture has preserved many myths and legends about these creatures. Due to their slowness and habit of remaining in one tree all day, constantly sleeping, koalas were an easy source of food. But the tribes did not exterminate koalas - there were many of them throughout the continent. Europeans first described animals in 1798. Initially, it was believed that koalas were bears, but then scientists determined that they were marsupials. 
Animals similar to koalas existed twenty-five million years ago
Koalas as we know them are herbivores that have adapted to a low-nutrient diet. Koalas get water from the leaves they eat and are not very active. active life. Scientists have discovered that their ancestors may have looked slightly different. Twenty-five million years ago, the climate of Australia was not so dry and the way of life of animals was different. As the climate changed, so did the eucalyptus trees, and so did the koalas.
Koalas became extinct in southern Australia in 1924
Europeans were not as kind to animals as the Aborigines. Koalas were considered a source of fur, and millions of animals were destroyed by the thirties. They are incredibly easy to hunt, which increased the losses. In 1919, a million koalas were killed during the six-month hunting season! The number shocked people, and the animals were given protected status. But no one protects the eucalyptus trees! Therefore, the main threat to koalas is now the disappearance of their habitat, which is due to environmental problems. 
Koalas have two thumbs
Koalas are adapted to live in trees. They have two opposite toes on their paws that help them hold on, and the other three are located in the center. Of course, these fingers literally cannot be called big, but in essence they are very similar to them. Each of the five toes has claws, making the paw look a bit like a human hand. Koalas have a muscular body with longer forelimbs, which helps them climb. The muscles in the lower body are different in structure from the muscles of other animals. They are located proportionally lower on the body and are designed to allow koalas to better fix their position on the trunk when climbing a tree. Thanks to this, animals do not fall from heights even when sleeping.
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1. Koala lives in coastal areas in eastern Australia. The first settlers on the mainland gave this “strange beast” different names, among which: “sloth”, “monkey”, “bear” and even “bear-monkey”, apparently trying to draw an analogy with the European animals they knew. But still, he was left with a name inherited from the ancient aborigines of Australia - koala, which means “an animal that does not drink water.”
2. In fact, in our time of cataclysms, when there are Forest fires, - koalas often come to people for water, as happened during the fires in Australia in 2009.
3. So, the size of adult individuals reaches 80 centimeters, and the weight can reach up to 15 kilograms.
4. And a newborn koala is so small that it weighs only 3-5 grams! Only after a few weeks it grows to the size of a human finger.
5. Moreover, the baby spends the first 6 months mainly in the “mother’s pouch”, like his compatriot the kangaroo, because koalas are also marsupials.
6. Their physiology is such that their thick short tail helps them sit firmly on a tree for hours, and the structure of their paws guarantees easy and safe movement along tree branches and other objects too.
7. Koala bears are not bears! In fact, the word “bear” is added when defining these animals only because of their external similarity, and the koala is in no way related to the “bear” family.
8. Although, of course, the absence of a tail along with the relatively long legs gives the mammal a great resemblance to a bear cub.
9. As we have already said, koalas do not drink water, but they consume a sufficient amount of liquid by chewing eucalyptus leaves.
10. And they have absolutely no time for games and entertainment - the whole day is spent on rest and sleep, which lasts 20 hours a day! But you still have to eat, and before that, find something to eat, moving from tree to tree, and at night, in the dark, as our today’s heroes lead night image life.
12. But, by the way, despite their slowness and clumsy appearance, koalas quickly jump from one tree to another.15. And some koalas are very surprised by such belligerent behavior!
16. And we support them - it’s much more pleasant to live in a friendly team.
The Taipei Zoo has come up with a new educational course for visitors - a program telling about the excrement of koalas, leopards and African elephants. Lectures on animal excrement will be held on winter holidays Zoo on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays. The excursions are designed mainly for children.
Very surprised spider monkey from national park Madidi in Bolivia. Photo by: Joel Sartore.
In East Kazakhstan region, a mother beat her 3-year-old daughter to death, who did not want to fall asleep. A hospital doctor called the duty station of the Ayagoz police department of East Kazakhstan region and reported that in the village of Aktogay
In today's selection of animal photographs you will find: * a rare Asian cat; * horse rescue; * poor koala who suffered from ill-treatment with animals... ...and much more1. 12-year-old Dawson Lockett takes a photo of a moose laying down on his lawn in Anchorage, Alaska. (Marc Lester / AP) 2. Rare Asian cat Temminka was found by representatives of the Malaysian Humane Society wildlife. The cat fell into a trap. (AFP - Getty Images) 3. French Bulldog named Luigi demonstrates his abilities at the 122nd tournament before the Rose Parade in Los Angeles. (Damian Dovarganes / AP) 4. A pair of geese in a small pond in Bethany, Oklahoma. (Jim Beckel / AP) 5. A sheep in an Egyptian car before the Eid al-Fitr holiday in Kerdas, Giza. (Khaled El Fiqi / EPA) 6. The game of two inhabitants of the panda center in Guangzhou. (Jason Lee / Reuters) 7. A wild salamander crawls through grass and clover on a farm near Roseburg, Oregon. (Robin Loznak / for msnbc.com) 8. Siamese crocodile in the Servion terrarium, near Lausanne, Switzerland. This kind freshwater crocodile, living in the wild from Asia, is critically endangered and has already disappeared from many regions. (Fabrice Coffrini / AFP - Getty Images) 9. King penguins walk along the sidewalk past visitors to the Basel Zoo. (Georgios Kefalas / AP) 10. ...
"The President's motorcade has left The White house at 19.23 (03.23 Moscow time) and headed to the Source restaurant on Pennsylvania Avenue. As he got out of the car, the President waved his hand unknown person, who greeted Obama from the balcony of his apartment,” says a message from a journalist from the White House pool, transmitted to RIA Novosti.
Australian? Zha?a O?t?stik Wales shtatynda?y hayuanattar ba?ynan Banjo atty koalans?rlap ketti. B?l turals The Daily Telegraph newspapers habarlady.
We invite you to look at photographs united by one theme - “unknown southern land"Australia.
According to a report presented at the UN climate summit, beluga, clownfish, salmon and seals are also at risk of extinction.
Finding himself in an ambush by crocodiles, Stan Martel had no choice but to sit on a tree and wait for help from rescuers. They arrived only the next morning.
Representatives of PETA in Australia have announced a reward for information that will help find the offenders of a koala named Fleet, who was shot with a shotgun. Animal advocates are promising anyone who helps find the perpetrators a thousand dollars. Flit is currently recovering from surgery.
Australian veterinarians began treating a male koala who received seven bullet wounds - it was established that the animal was shot from a shotgun. The injured marsupial bear is currently being treated at a wildlife veterinary center where he is being prepared for surgery to remove the bullets.
A koala named Banjo was kidnapped from a zoo in the state of New South Wales in south-eastern Australia. The 13-year-old animal, which had not been shown to the public, disappeared from its separate enclosure. The zoo administration called the theft a disturbing event and called on the kidnappers to return the koala so as not to harm him.
A male koala wandered into one of the Australian bars and helped attract a large number of visitors. As the bartender said, he and his customers really enjoyed watching the animal, and in this regard, he expressed hope that the koala would come to him again.
As a result of a road accident in the Australian state of Victoria, a male koala became stuck in the radiator grille of a Ford Falcon. The driver of the car brought the koala to an animal rescue center, where the stuck marsupial was helped to get out. After examining him, veterinarians concluded that the koala was not injured.
State authorities South Australia offered jobs to the British. The Australians decided to help Britons aged 18 to 30 take their minds off bad weather and the boring work they are forced to do at home. In Australia, Britons will be able to work as shark markers and koala catchers.
Everyone encounters this little beast either in person or in pictures. But they are especially interesting for children, so the questions are: where does he live, what does he eat? Quite natural for family people.
So, the koala is a small animal, its typical habitat is Australia. On the same continent as the kangaroo. The koala is often called a marsupial bear, most likely due to its similarity to polar bear. But according to scientific division, the koala does not belong to the bear family.
This animal got its name from the aborigines, and it means non-drinker. Indeed, unlike many Australian animals, the koala does not drink water, and therefore does not go to watering places. It receives moisture from eucalyptus leaves. These little animals do not come down from the tree to drink water, since the leaves provide a large amount of liquid, just enough to maintain homeostasis in the body. Koalas are lazy animals, they do everything slowly, slowly eat eucalyptus branches, and are able to consume more than a kilogram of greenery at a time.
But as everyone knows, eucalyptus leaves contain hydrocyanic acid, which in its properties is deadly substance V large quantities, exactly corresponding to those contained in eucalyptus leaves. And then the animal saves him perfectly developed sense of smell. A koala will never eat a eucalyptus leaf if it contains a lethal dose of acid. Therefore, koalas often leave some trees and look for others that are more edible.
The sizes of these animals differ from each other. Dimensions depend on environment. In what area the animal lives, it reaches such sizes. For example, the state of Victoria is famous for the largest marsupial bears, but Queensland - the smallest individuals, similar in size to a wombat. Koalas also differ in weight. Some weigh six kilograms, while others weigh seventeen. The animal reaches a length of up to 85 cm.
Such marsupials always live in trees; they climb down to the ground very rarely, and only when in great need. The koala's entire body is designed in such a way that it allows it to rest securely on tree branches, without requiring large expenditures of energy.
The animal always prefers solitude, so seeing a herd or at least five koalas together is unrealistic. But every year from October to February, koalas have a mating period. The so-called mating season of koalas. Then the female carries the cub for about a month. One animal is always born, weighing no more than 5 - 6 grams, and about two centimeters long. The birth of twins is very rare.
For the next six months, the cub is inseparable from its mother. It is in her pouch, hence the name of the species – marsupials. In the bag, the baby receives all the necessary substances from the mother's milk. In six months little koala climbs onto mom's back and spends another six months there.
The voice of a koala is almost impossible to hear; only during the mating season do males make certain sounds. These sounds are compared to the snoring of a man or the creaking of door hinges, but such sounds only attract the female. And the koala screams completely differently when it is scared or injured. His cry resembles the cry of a child. This cry is often heard from young koalas when confronted with their relatives. Koalas that are in zoos do not cry at all, except mating season, since they are accustomed to unusual handling, it is quite difficult to frighten or surprise a koala.
The entire existence of a koala, in general, passes in a dream. During the day, the koala sleeps for almost twenty hours, and spends the remaining four on food.
The life length of a marsupial is twelve to thirteen years, but in one modern zoo There was a case of longevity where a koala died at the age of twenty. But in general, few of them live to be thirteen years old; many diseases kill them before natural age little animals. Although in natural environment Koalas have practically no enemies; sometimes they die from a feral dog, but in our time this is very rare.
Koalas are mammals, marsupials. They live in the natural environment of the wild only in Australia and Tasmania (like many other marsupials). They resemble bears only in appearance. The lifestyle of koalas is completely different.
Animal life has been studied by scientists since the 19th century. Previously, this animal was unknown to science.
Quote from the site " Amazing world Australia":
“Koala packs were known to science and society only in 1802, and a year later the first living animal of this breed was caught.
Its “official” scientific name Koalas got their name back in 1816, when they were given the name Phascolarctos – from the Greek phaskolos “skin bag” + arktos “bear”.
Koalas got their specific name, cinereus (gray, ashy), thanks to the color of their fur.”
Koalas are exclusively nocturnal. At night, these cute lumps doze on comfortable beds made of eucalyptus branches. Of course, beds in trees. Well, it’s not far from the dining room
In the language of indigenous Australians, the word "koala" means "never drinking water" Indeed, these amazing bears obtain almost all the liquid they need for life from eucalyptus leaves.
They, unlike bears, do not eat meat at all and feed exclusively on eucalyptus leaves, and in different time of the year - different types this type of tree. This is because many varieties of eucalyptus emit poisonous substances at some point in time. chemical compounds. This is mainly hydrocyanic acid, which, when released into the blood, affects the respiratory system. Also, koalas are not like bears because they lead almost completely wood image life and descend from their abode only to climb another tree.
Koalas' feet are excellent for climbing and clinging.
Their big and index fingers are opposed to all the others - it is more convenient to grasp the branches.
Koalas also have a tail, it’s just so tiny that it’s almost unnoticeable.
The fur of these animals is soft and thick, its color depends on the area where the koala lives, and can be gray, reddish and even reddish. It is always lighter on the belly than on the back.
One of the most prominent parts of a koala's body is its claws. They are so powerful and strong that, having stuck them into a tree, the koala does not fall down, even when he is fast asleep.
And they sleep often and for a long time, up to 20 hours a day. Koalas are generally very phlegmatic animals: during the day, even if they do not sleep, they sit motionless, clinging to a tree and only turning their heads from side to side. Often the baby sits on the female’s back, as calm as its mother.
Adult males have their own harems (groups of females). IN summer period time, approximately once every two years a female koala gives birth to a single baby.
A newborn cub reaches approximately 2 cm and weighs 5 grams. For half a year the bear cub sits in its mother’s bag. At 7-8 months, the baby begins to gradually get out of his mother’s bag and explore the world, and at 9 months he leaves his shelter and moves to his mother’s back, where he will spend about another year.
The average lifespan of an animal is about 13 years, although there are individuals that live up to 18 years. The female often lives longer than the male. Koalas easily get used to captivity if it is an Australian reserve. However, they only need eucalyptus, so they reproduce well in state protected parks.
The number of koalas was declining alarmingly quickly due to mass hunting. Koala hunting is now prohibited. The number of these wonderful bears is slowly but increasing.
Interesting thing: koalas have fingerprints similar to humans.
We invite you to look at photographs of these wonderful animals.
Sometimes I can’t believe that these funny animals really live in the wild. I just want to take the koala in my arms. take it home, wrap it in a blanket and cradle it like a baby :))
Thick fur makes the animal look like Teddy bear. Interestingly, the color of the fur depends on where the koala lives.
Possible fur colors: smoky gray, bright and light red, almost red.
Interestingly, koalas do not drink water at all.
On the soft pads of koala fingers, if you look closely, you can see a pattern identical to a human print.
Koalas can also boast of their claws, which are so strong that they can withstand the weight of the animal.
There are no claws on the big toes of the koala's hind legs.
Koala pregnancy lasts only 1 month.
After birth, the baby lives in the mother’s pouch for six months and feeds on milk.
Then, when the baby moves onto his mother’s back, he eats special feces (excrement) so that the baby receives the necessary microorganisms for good digestion.
Koalas sleep 18-22 hours a day. Still would! They get so tired digesting their heavy food...
Koalas are under close attention World Wildlife Fund.
The World Wildlife Fund (WWF, - World Wide Fund for Nature, World Wildlife Fund) is one of the world's largest public charitable organizations, working for more than 50 years to protect nature around the planet. Every year WWF carries out over 1200 environmental projects, attracting the attention of millions of people to environmental problems and their solutions.
Koalas are usually silent. They make sounds only in times of danger. Frightened or injured koalas scream and cry like human children.
Here's another interesting fact:
The size of these amazing animals can vary (as well as the color of the fur) depending on the territory in which the individual lives. Thus, the largest individuals live in the state of Victoria, and the smallest of the koalas live in Queensland.
The story of a baby koala named Raymond
Not long ago, not far from the Australian town of Brisbane, an orphaned baby koala was discovered right on the road. Of course, the man who found him could not leave the baby to die in the middle of the road.
He was so small that he easily fit into a coffee mug, and even now, a month later, he had grown only a little. His nurse and guardian Julie Zyzniewski gave the baby the nickname Raymond.
Baby koalas, forced to be separated from their mothers in such early age, suffer madly and even fall into real depression, refusing the milk offered to them. But Julia managed to feed and warm the baby with her care and affection. He began to eat and get better. In a couple of weeks he gained as much as 65 grams!!!
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