
They usually sleep 18 hours a day so it is impossible for them to look for another source of food, not even a bamboo tree. Koalas seldom leave the eucalyptus tree which is their habitat for the rest of their lives. They live in Australia, in areas that eucalyptus tree grows optimally. Do koalas eat bamboo too? According to expert zoologists, koalas consume eucalyptus leaves, but not bamboo leaves. This special type of poo is called pap, a soft runny substance being excreted by a mother koala from its anus intended to be eaten by its joey, 6-7 months from birth. They feed their joey their faeces or poo. Mother koalas do this by giving its young a supply of live microorganism. Mother koalas have to prepare its joey’s gut in consuming the deadly phenolic substance found on the leaves. But milk feeding is just temporary, baby koalas or joey has to learn to consume eucalyptus leaves. What do baby koalas eat? Sure thing, because koalas are considered as mammals, mother koalas breastfeed their cubs during the first months of their existence, just like humans do. Now, here is an interesting fact about koalas. Koala bears have very slow rate of metabolism, that’s why they eat for four hours and stay still for the next 16 to 18 hours each day to facilitate the digestion of food. Although eucalyptus possess a deadly phenolic compound that can injure other foraging animals, koalas gut are home for special kind of symbiotic microorganisms that help this animal digest the phenolic compound very fast without causing any harm to the koalas. This is the main source of water and nutrients for the koalas. This animal also eat the bark of eucalyptus tree occasionally.īecause eucalyptus tree has low nutrient content, koala bears eat 1 to 1.5 pounds of plant materials each day. Koalas feed mainly on eucalyptus leaves and shoots that grow from the ground. They mainly feed on eucalyptus plant and will consume leaves from other tree species like tea tree and waffle tree every once in a while. Koalas are very selective in what kind of plant species they are going to consume. What kind of foods do koalas eat? Koala bears are called herbivores because they solely depend on leaves and plant materials for food in order to survive. After that period, baby koalas ride on their mama’s back for several months and then climb on trees for the rest of their lives. And just like other marsupials, koalas have pouch that serves as home for their cubs for the first six month of their lives. As we’ve mention earlier, koalas are marsupials. Even though people brand koala as a bear because of its close resemblance to a teddy bear, koalas are not actually bears. Koalas possess strong and sharp claws that help them climb trees. What do koalas look like?Ī koala bear can be easily recognized by its rounded head, large ears, wide nose, short and grey body and cute little dark eyes. Kangaroos belong to the same class of animals. Koalas are marsupials, meaning these type of animals also have pouch on their abdomen that has the capability of carrying or housing their young. We have also listed some amazing koala facts that you might haven’t heard of yet so keep reading!īefore we answer the question about koala’s diet, let’s begin with some basic information about this cuddly animal.Ī koala, or scientifically known as Phascolarctos cinereus is categorized under phylum Chordata, class Mamamalia.

Their numbers have decreased significantly since more people moved to Australia.This article aims to cover important koala questions, such as: Trees are getting cut for residential areas on the eastern side of Australia and this is making Koala Bear numbers decrease. The problem is that due to population increase Koalas are losing their homes. The reason why Koalas enjoy their time on the east side is because of the trees which grow on rich moist soil. This is why the population of Koalas is so dense and it is important for us humans to keep these habitats open for these precious animals. They are located in the low woodlands of the eastern side of Australia.
KOALA BEAR FULL
The energy for a Koala to get from the ground and back up to the tree would take the bear multiple days maybe weeks in order to get back to the branches full of leaves. The reason being is because leaves are on trees not on the ground. They spend the majority of their lives on trees and not much time on the ground.
