The most amazing facts about koalas

Exactly 210 years ago, on August 21, 1803, the Australian edition of the Sydney Gazette published the first detailed report on koalas. Since then, scientists have managed to add many interesting details to the knowledge about these funny animals, the most interesting of which we are in a hurry to share with you.

(Total 16 photos)

1. Koala lives in coastal areas in eastern Australia. The first settlers on the mainland gave this “outlandish beast” different names, including: “sloth”, “monkey”, “bear” and even “bear monkey”, apparently trying to draw an analogy with European animals familiar to them. But still, he was left with a name inherited from the ancient natives of Australia - koala, which means "an animal that does not drink water."

2. In fact, in our time of cataclysms, when wildfires occur in the forests, koalas often come to people for water, as happened during the fires in Australia in 2009.

3. So, the size of adults reaches 80 centimeters, and the weight can reach up to 15 kilograms.

4. 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 bag", like his compatriot kangaroo, because koalas are also marsupials.

6. Their physiology is such that a thick short tail helps to sit firmly on a tree for hours, and the structure of the paws guarantees easy and safe movement along tree branches, and on other objects too

7. Koala bears are not bears! In fact, the word "bear" in the definition of these animals is added only because of their external similarity, and the koala is in no way connected with the "bear" family.

8. Although, of course, the absence of a tail, along with 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 absolutely do not have enough 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 what to eat, moving from tree to tree, and moreover at night, in the dark, since our today's heroes are nocturnal.

11. There is no time for communication with their own kind - "no social life"!

12. But, by the way, despite their slowness and awkward appearance, koalas quickly jump from one tree to another.

13. And they swim well when they have to escape from danger, well, or just to freshen up.

14. Male koalas do not like to meet other males at all, they try in every possible way to scare the opponent, apparently, as in this photo, and often fight for their eucalyptus possessions.

15. And some koalas are very surprised by such militant behavior!

16. And we support them - it is much more pleasant to live in a friendly team.