Koalas do not get drunk on eucalyptus oil. If you hear someone say this you can laugh and say, no that is a fairytale! It really was thought to be true but it is not. The reason people thought this is because they sleep so much, so deeply, and often in such funny floppy positions. […]
Joeys stay with mum until they are around 1 year old. Here in northern NSW they usually weigh around 3.5 – 3kg by this time. Joey is tiny when born, and lives in mums pouch, drinking milk until around 6-7 months old. Joey then starts sitting in mums lap, and by 8 months old can […]
Koalas have a hard pad on their lower back. This hard pad is made of stuff called cartilage. If you feel your ear, rub it between your fingers on the sides. Can you feel there is something inside there? That is some thin cartilage and it can bend a bit. (don’t twist your ear too […]
Koalas have a thumb on each foot. How amazing are koala hands and feet? Altogether that means they have six thumbs! Did you know that they also have two toes fused together on each foot? It acts like just one toe, but there are two claws and that makes this great for grooming and removing […]
Koalas rarely drink water. This amazing fact about koalas is even how they got their name. The aboriginals knew from tens of thousands of years ago that koala did not come down to drink. So they named him with a word that means ‘dry’ or ‘no water’. Koalas get the water they need from the […]
The closest relative to the koala is the wombat. I wonder if you already knew that amazing fact? They are not even a little bit related to bears of course. Funny that wombats live in burrows and koalas in trees, yet they are close cousins. Other animals that are quite closely related are kangaroos and […]
Boy koalas have scent glands on their chests. This scent gland produces an oily stuff that has quite a koala smell to it. Have you ever rubbed some cooking oil on your fingers and noticed how hard it is to get off again? You can see the scent gland as it looks like a brown […]
Koalas need to live in trees as well as eat there. Koalas are called arboreal. This word means they live in trees. Koalas cannot live on the ground as they would not be safe. What things do you think would be a danger to them on the ground? The very safest place for a koala […]
Koalas can sleep for up to 22 hours every day While they do spend most of their time sleeping, they are often just lightly snoozing. But when they go into a deep sleep they really seem to hear nothing around them. Did you know the reason they have to sleep so much is because it […]
Koalas eat eucalyptus leaves. Hey have you ever smelled eucalyptus? Ask an adult to give you a smell if they can get a bottle of eucalyptus oil. Don’t sniff too hard or your eyes might water! It has a nice smell, but it is very strong and you must never try to drink the oil. […]
