They are, to put it simply, the puppy dogs of the tree-climbing world. Chunky, soft grey fur bodies are topped with a big round head and two extremely fluffy ears above a big black ‘spoon-shaped’ nose. If you’ve never seen a koala before, you should know that they are simply some of the most adorable animals alive on this planet today. The states in which koalas can be found in the wild include: Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, and South Australia. ![]() All other images supplied by Australian Koala Foundation.We’d not be surprised if you’ve never actually set eyes on a koala bear before, since these super cute marsupials are native only to Australia, and then only to the eastern and southern coastal regions of that vast country. “So, part of how the trees are avoiding being over-eaten is by making koalas feel sleepy when they eat a lot of them.”Īrticle supplied with thanks to Hope Media.įeature image: Photo by Kerin Gedge on Unsplash. “One of the reasons that koalas sleep so much is some of the toxin in their food… affects serotonin in mammals and contributes to making them feel drowsy,” Dr Youngentob said. Koalas are also asleep for most of the day and can sleep for up to 20 hours a day. “And the baby eats this special pap which comes out of the mum’s bum and it gives it an inoculation of the gut bacteria that it needs to then be able to eat eucalyptus leaves.” “The way they get that is from their mum, who excretes a special kind of poo called ‘pap’ at the time that the baby is ready to be weaned and eat the leaves. “They have to get helpful bacteria in their gut that helps them digest and deal with the toxins in eucalypts. “If you look at their hand, (it) is kind of split the way ours is…but they’ve got two thumbs on one side and then their little fingers on the other, so it helps them grip trees,” Dr Youngentob said.īaby koalas can’t digest eucalyptus leaves and need special help from their mums, she said. Koalas are beloved by many but people may be surprised to learn that they have two thumbs on each hand. If enacted, the Act would focus on protecting trees, including habitats that are empty. People can also join AFK’s Koala Army to persuade the Australian Government to enact the Koala Protection Act.Įxisting legislation focuses on protecting the koala itself but does not stop trees from being cleared, which is destroying koala habitats. It is a symbolic adoption where people will receive a personalised adoption certificate and be allowed to visit their adopted koalas. The Adopt a Koala Program allows people to adopt a koala for 12 months. “It’s completely unacceptable koalas aren’t protected in Victoria and South Australia.”ĪFK provides several ways for people to support the marsupials, including adopting their own koala. “It is now listed as an endangered species in Queensland, NSW and the ACT habitat restoration is essential to its survival,” she said in a statement. “On the other side of that, we’re also changing the climate in addition to changing the landscape, and our activities and burning fossil fuels are making it hotter and the extremes of heat are beyond what the koala can tolerate in many areas.” How You Can HelpĪKF Chair Deborah Tabart believes the koala needs everyone’s help. “But living in the dense forest isn’t really ideal for people… so, often these forests are cleared for human development and when you clear the forests, you clear the habitat.” It’s getting more and more fragmented because a lot of the places that the koala wants to live, people want to live too,” she said. “The koala is kind of suffering a death by a thousand cuts in terms of losing habitat. Some of the biggest threats to koalas are habitat loss and climate change, Dr Youngentob said.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |