Australia

KOALA BEAR

BODY- The koala bear is going to adapt by losing all of its fur so he won't over heat. They are also going to develop very rough skin for eating cactus. When the eucalyptus trees die, he's going to have to eat cactus because koala bears don't drink water. They get all the water they need from the eucalyptus trees so they will eat cactus instead. The reason for cactus is cactus is a source of water and either they eat cactus or learn to drink water. Also it is going to have to lose most of his fat so he wont get tired really fast. So the Koala bear is going to be bald with very rough skin and he is going to be skinny. If the koala bear stayed like it is right now it would be so hot it would be torture. Right now the koala bear is 34 inch tall and weighs about 30 pounds he is a furry and fat animal.

BEHAVIOR- The koala bear is not going to have to change in behavior but instead of sitting around up in the eucalyptus trees he is going to have to sit on the ground and eat catus. He is going to live in the desert trees and when he is hungry he will go down and eat cactus. The koala bears are going to live in the same places which is Australia but the only thing different is it is going to be dry like dead grass and most things are going to be dried out and dead. The cactus plant is going to start growing because all the birds that lived in the cactus are going to get to get to hot so they are going to fly away and drop cactus seeds that were on their wings.

KOALA BEAR INFORMATION

• Size: 70 - 90cm (27 - 36 inch)
• Weight: 4 - 9kg (9 - 20 lb)
• The males are larger than females.
• Southern koalas are 30% larger than the Northern koalas
• Koala's fur is thick soft and pleasant to touch. Ears have long white hairs on the tips.
• Koalas can live as long as 17 years, however males life expectancy is less than 10 years (due to injuries during fights, dogs and cars). Females generally live longer. Koalas living in an undisturbed habitat would have a greater life expectancy than those living in suburbia.
• Koalas prefer to move around just after sunset spending daytimes asleep in the fork of a tree. Koala spends sleeping 75% of its time. Just after sunset koalas move around and can often be heard "barking" aggressively at other koalas.

KOALA BEAR HABITAT FACTS

• Queensland estimated population 50.000
• Victoria & South Australia estemated population 15.000
• New South Wales estimated population 15.000
• Koalas live in eucalypt forests of Eastern and South-Eastern Australia.
• Koalas habitat requirements include the presence of other koalas and preferred food trees.
• Koalas are found in a range of habitats, from coastal islands and tall eucalypt forests to low woodlands inland. Their habitat quality can be measured by density of the food trees. Koalas do not live in rainforest.

HISTORY OF KOALA BEAR

Fossil remains of koala-like animals have been found dating back to 25 - 40 million years ago. Koalas, like all Australian animals, are an important part of Aboriginal culture and featured in many myths and legends.

John Price was the first European who described koalas 1798. In 1816, the koala was given its scientific name, phascolarctos cinereus, meaning 'ash grey pouched bear'.

European settlers identified the koala as a source of fur to trade, and millions of koalas were shot for their pelts. By 1924 koalas were extinct in South Australia, severely depleted in New South Wales and estimates for Victoria go as low as 500 animals.

Public forced governments in all states to declare the koala a 'Protected Species' by the late 1930's. Presently, up to 4,000 koalas are being killed each year by cars and dogs.

Socially stable koala population occurs only when there are primary food tree species present. Koalas live in societies, so they need to be able to come into contact with other koalas and this is why they require large areas of suitable eucalypt forest which is able to support a healthy koala population.

Even after a koala has died, other koalas usually won’t move into the vacant territory for about a year, or until the scent markings and scratches of the old owner disappear.

KOALA FEEDING FACTS

Koala bear

is the only mammal, other than the Greater Glider and Ringtail Possum, which can survive on a diet of eucalyptus leaves.
Koala seldom drinks water obtaining it from the eucalyptus leaves, which are 50% consisting of water. Although, they can drink water if due to drought the leaves water content is reduced.
Koalas consume eucalyptus leaves and bark from 12 different eucalyptus tree species. They also consume mistletoe and box leaves.
Koala in Victoria would have different diet from koala in Queensland as different species of eucalypts grow in different parts of Australia.
Sometimes koalas eat leaves from other trees such as wattle tree, tea tree, paperbark tree.

Each koala eats approximately 200 to 500 grams of leaves per day. Koalas have a slow metabolic rate due to their high-fiber, low nutrient diet. Because they store little or no fat, koalas must adopt strategies that conserve energy. Sleeping is one of them.

Koalas sleep for up to 16 hours per day in order to conserve energy.

A very slow metabolic rate optimizes its energy requirements and allows koalas to retain food within their digestive system for a relatively long period of time, maximizing the amount of extracted energy.

Eucalyptus

foliage is very fibrous and low in nutrition, and to most animals are extremely poisonous. Koalas are not drugged out on gum leaves. Koala's digestive system is especially adapted to detoxify the poisonous chemicals in the leaves.

Koalas have a very long (up to 200cm / 6.5 feet) caecum - a fiber digesting organ. It's a part of the intestine, which allows more time for bacteria to break down the otherwise indigestible eucalypti fiber. Even so, the koala is still only able to absorb 25% of fiber eaten.

The young koala drinks only mother's milk for the first six to seven months.

At about 30 weeks, it begins to feed upon a substance called "pap" which the mother produces in addition to milk. Pap is a specialized form of droppings, which forms an important part of the young koala's diet, allowing it to make the transition from milk to eucalyptus leaves.

Pap is soft and runny. It allows the mother to pass on micro-organisms from her digestive system.

The young koala continues to take milk from its mother until it is about a year old, but as it can no longer fit in the pouch, the mother's teat elongates to protrude from the pouch opening.

Eventually young koala begins to feed upon fresh leaves as it rides on mother's back.

KOALA FACTS

Koalas have two thumbs on their front paws - to help them climb, to hold onto the tree and to grip their food. Koalas are NOCTURNAL animals. This means that they sleep in the daytime, and move around and feed at night.
Koalas' fur is different in different parts of Australia. In the southern parts of Australia it is longer and shaggier than in the north in order to keep them warm in the cold southern winters.
The male koala has a dark scent gland in the center of his chest. He rubs this on the tree in order to mark his territory.
Koalas also communicate with each other by making a noise like a snore and then a belch known as a 'bellow.' Koalas babies are known by several names - 'pouch young', 'black young,' 'joeys', and 'cubs.'
When koalas get upset or worried by the loss of their homes, they may get a disease called Chlamydia.

KOALA BREDDING INFORMATION

Koalas breed once a year. Mating normally occurs from September to March. Gestation lasts 35 days, after which one koala is born.

The baby koala, "joey", is blind, hairless, less than one inch long and weighs less than 1 gram (0.035 oz). It then crawls into its mothers pouch completely unaided, relying on its sense of smell, strong forelimbs and claws. Once inside the pouch, baby koala attaches itself to one of the two teats and stays there drinking milk for the next six months.

Females

generally start breeding at about three or four years of age and usually produce only one baby koala each year. Twins have been reported, but are rare. In the average, one female may produce only 5 or 6 baby koalas over her lifetime. Young koalas remain with their mothers until the appearance outside the pouch of the next season's joey. If a female does not reproduce each year, the young koala stays with her longer and has a greater chance of survival.