Koalas
Sleeping
Koalas sleep for a long time. They sleep for 18-22 hours per day. They fall asleep on eucalyptus trees. Sometimes they sleep on one branch with their body down snuggled in a ball, sometimes they grip the branch very tightly when they are sleeping. Mothers hug their cub when they are sleeping. Sometimes Koalas fall out out of the eucalyptus trees, but they usually are not hurt from falling.
Eating
Koala’s basically eat the leaves of Eucalyptus trees. Koalas are picky eaters. At the San Diego zoo they offer each Koala 25 pounds of fresh eucalyptus leaves and they eat only 1.5 pounds of it. Koalas eat some dirt occasionally to help digest their food. They eat for 2-4 hours every day. Eucalyptus leaves have very little nutritional value which makes them sleepy all day. Some Eucalyptus leaves are toxic to most animals including Koalas. That’s why they sniff each leaf before they eat it. They can tell if leaves are toxic . Once they eat the leaves that are not toxic, they move to another tree. Sometimes koalas will eat leaves from other trees as well, such as acacia trees and trees from the myrtle family. Koalas are picky eaters, because they eat very specific leaves.
Claws
Koalas have very long and sharp claws to help them get from tree to tree and make sure they can hold on while they are sleeping. The claws of the hands are practically sharp and strong.
Both hand and feet have claws where a finger would be except the big toe. They climb with all of their claws except their big toe. The sharpness of the claws help a koala to climb big trees.
A koala can slip and almost fall off a branch, but if one claw has a good contact with the tree the koala can usually halt it back up. If the tree is larger than the koalas arm reach they have to use their claws like crampons on ice. Crampons are these metal spikes you strap onto shoes, so you can hike better on ice and get a grip. They did into the surface and pull themselves up by using brutal arm strength. They really need their claws to get to trees to trees and for there sleeping
Both hand and feet have claws where a finger would be except the big toe. They climb with all of their claws except their big toe. The sharpness of the claws help a koala to climb big trees.
A koala can slip and almost fall off a branch, but if one claw has a good contact with the tree the koala can usually halt it back up. If the tree is larger than the koalas arm reach they have to use their claws like crampons on ice. Crampons are these metal spikes you strap onto shoes, so you can hike better on ice and get a grip. They did into the surface and pull themselves up by using brutal arm strength. They really need their claws to get to trees to trees and for there sleeping
Habitat
Koalas habitat is mainly in the Eastern part of Australia where they live in Eucalyptus trees.
They need eucalyptus trees for food and shelter. They can be found in the Northeast and Southeast of Australia in a strip near the coast of the Pacific Ocean. Koalas can only survive in places with eucalyptus trees. Koalas do not have dens, tree holes or nests, but they have eucalyptus trees for their habitat. They sleep and make a baby on the eucalyptus branches.
Unlike most mammals koalas will never make dens or permanent homes. They do have home territories, because they move from tree to tree.
They need eucalyptus trees for food and shelter. They can be found in the Northeast and Southeast of Australia in a strip near the coast of the Pacific Ocean. Koalas can only survive in places with eucalyptus trees. Koalas do not have dens, tree holes or nests, but they have eucalyptus trees for their habitat. They sleep and make a baby on the eucalyptus branches.
Unlike most mammals koalas will never make dens or permanent homes. They do have home territories, because they move from tree to tree.
Sleeping
Koalas sleep for a long time. They sleep for 18-22 hours per day. They fall asleep on eucalyptus trees. Sometimes they sleep on one branch with their body down snuggled in a ball, sometimes they grip the branch very tightly when they are sleeping. Mothers hug their cub when they are sleeping. Sometimes Koalas fall out out of the eucalyptus trees, but they usually are not hurt from falling.
Predators
Koalas have a lot of ways of dying from humans and other animals. Sometimes Koalas will get hit by cars by accident, because drivers do not pay attention to signs that tell drivers to watch out for Koalas. Their biggest threat is humans for their fur and their trees. People cut down eucalyptus trees to make houses and farms. Forest fires also kill Koalas. This means less food and shelter for koalas. Koalas have a lot of animal predators. The European fox and wild dogs called Dingoes attack Koalas from the ground to kill them. Other animals are large birds, owls, eagles, and lizards that attack the baby Koala when the mother is away. The mother tries to protect it’s cubs from attacks.
Koala from Ezra Kamer on Vimeo.