Koalas
Phascolarctos cinereus
Fun Facts
Koalas love to snooze and often sleep for 18-22 hours a day due to their low energy diet of eucalyptus leaves.
They have particularly hard bottoms (like their closest relative the wombat) which lets them wedge comfortably in tree forks for long periods of time.
They have not one, but two, opposable thumbs on each of their fore paws to help them climb trees.
While Koalas normally move slowly on the ground, if they need to, they can travel at speeds of up to 30km per hour over short distances. Speedy!
Where can you find them?
Koalas live in Eucalyptus forests in Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia.
Endangered
Conservation Status
The biggest threat to Koalas is the loss of their habitat, which was made much worse across the South East of Australia by the recent 2019-20 bushfires. Koalas are solitary animals and need a lot of space, around one hundred trees per Koala.
Koalas are classified as Endangered by the IUCN Red List. Source: Woinarski, J. & Burbidge, A.A.2020.Phascolarctos cinereus (amended version of 2016 assessment). The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species2020: e.T16892A166496779.https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2020-1.RLTS.T16892A166496779.en. Accessed on 28 July 2023.
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