Where the koala lives, the description and features of this animal

Australia - the only place on the planet where the koala lives - an unusual marsupial animal, similar to a funny teddy bear. It is impossible to confuse him with another living being, he is so unique.

Koala: appearance

This is a small animal, belonging to the family of marsupials, weighing from 7 to 16 kg. The Koala is easy to recognize by a large broad head, on which a large nose with a black back, fur-covered ears and small eyes is very prominent.

The dense gray coat color is short, soft, slightly darker on the back and lighter in the abdominal region. This animal spends all his life on a tree, so he has very strong limbs, adapted to cling to a tree when climbing. This helps and sharp, long claws, which can withstand the weight of the animal. Until now, scientists can not decide who the koala is - a bear, a raccoon or someone else. In zoos where koalas live, there is always a large crowd of people who want to see these amazing and unusual animals.

Habitat

These marsupials live only in the south-eastern part of Australia and on the neighboring islands. Many years ago they inhabited the entire continent, but with the advent of the settlers were driven out from their ancestral places. Aborigines to this animal are treated with great respect. According to ancient legend, it was the giant ancestor of the koala that helped people get to this continent.

Forests, where the koala lives, are mostly moist tropical and subtropical. Usually, these animals live near water, where a lot of eucalyptus grows. The leaves of this plant are the only food that the koala uses. In the crowns of eucalypts, the marsupial bear spends almost its entire life, descending only to move to other thickets.

Meals of a marsupial bear

The koala diet is not diverse. These are exclusively leaves and young shoots of eucalyptus. These parts of the plant contain a small amount of protein and a lot of poisonous compounds, including hydrocyanic acid. It is established that in a daily portion of leaves eaten by a koala, there is an amount of poison that can kill any other animal. Probably, that's why neither predators nor hunters are interested in koalas as prey.

These animals choose the most suitable types of eucalyptus for feeding, preferring those trees that grow on more fertile soils. In their leaves, the concentration of poison is much lower. Helps animals to find the plants they need, their developed sense of smell. In captivity, there is no such choice, which can threaten even poisoning. Interesting is the fact that, inhabited in a certain part of the continent, the animals eat only the leaves of trees growing next to their "home". That is why very carefully this animal is taught to a new diet in the zoo, where the koalas live. The country on the other continent is forced to deliver the first time the leaves for the animal from the area from which it was brought. A koala needs up to 1 kg of leaves per day. This animal practically does not drink water at all. He has enough moisture, obtained from succulent leaves.

Features of koalas

This animal has some interesting features that make it truly unique. The papillary pattern found on the prints of his fingers can hardly be distinguished from the human. Even for rather large parents, whose weight is not less than 8 kg, the baby is born completely tiny, the size of the bean grain and weighing only 6 g. It grows up already in a well developed leathery fold, located on the mother's abdomen and resembling a bag.

There is a baby there for half a year, feeding on mother's milk. Then moves to the back of the parent. Wherever the koala lives, there are no tree predators that pose a threat, due to which this animal is always very slow and calm.

The life of a marsupial bear

This animal can sleep right on the branches up to 20 hours a day, only at night moving around the trees, getting food. This lack of mobility is explained by too slow metabolism in this animal, why the need for energy is greatly reduced. For a few hours koalas can be completely immobile.

But at the moment of danger they are able to make excellent jumps and move rather quickly, including in the water.

Their slowness and lack of mobility, these animals even more resemble a soft toy. Such a funny appearance captivates people, and they are happy to tame animals.

And then it does not matter where the koala lives, in which country, it adapts very easily, becoming a domestic and friendly animal.

Marsupial animals

Australia is a country famous for the unusual animals that live there, quite unlike those we used to see in our homeland. They differ not only in appearance, but also have a special body structure. The country where the koala lives is also famous for other marsupials. All of them are united by a fold of skin on the stomach, resembling a bag. It is in it that the females wear their cubs for several months until they grow up. But even grown up and able to move independently, the kids for a long time do not part with my mother's bag.

Another very famous marsupial animal is a kangaroo. It is known to everyone from childhood. A normal herbivorous animal, similar to a bear, is called a wombat and can reach a size up to a meter and weigh about 40 kg. Pretty beautiful small animal - marsupial anteater nambat, eating termites. On the verge of extinction is a very rare animal of the family of marsupials - spotted marten. It is a predator that feeds on small animals - mice, rabbits, birds, etc. And yet, most of all, Australia is famous as a country where koalas and kangaroos live. They can rightly be considered a visiting card of this continent.