They’re not just another pretty face (and body). Koalas have a variety of claims to fame.
- They are the sleepiest animals on earth. Koalas can sleep up to 20 hours a day, tucked into the fork of the tree. Their extraordinary sleeping habit is believed to be an adaptation to their leaf-based diet, as they get very little energy from just eating leaves.
- Koala means “no drink” or “no water” In the Australian Aboriginal languages. And truly, they rarely drink. The majority of their water intake comes from eating fresh eucalyptus leaves
- Speaking of that eucalyptus, it’s poisonous and even in small amounts can often be fatal to most animals. Special liver enzymes and symbiotic gut bacteria help to break down poisonous compounds; they can happily eat more than two pounds of the stuff a day.
- There is only one species of koala in the world. It is the only extant member of the family Phascolarctidae, whose closest living relatives are the common wombats.
- They may be called koala bears, but they share more features with kangaroos. They are classified as marsupials, a different group of mammals, where females have a special pouch (front-facing or backwards-facing) for rearing their young. These under-developed offspring are also called – like kangaroos – joeys.
- Koalas have an extremely refined sense of smell; they are able to sniff out the tastiest of eucalyptus leaves. And though the koala’s cute rectangular nose looks leathery, it is extremely soft to the touch.
