Koala Bears Created by: Madison Mogck

Classification Kingdom: Animal Phylum: Vertebrata Class: Mammalia Sub-Class: Marsupialia Order: Diprotodontia Sub-Order: Vombatiformes Infra Order: Phascolarctomorphia Family: Phascolarctida

Dimensions Shape: Roundish, but it is more towards an oval. Length: 30.7 in. for males; 28 in. for females Height: 740 mm for males; 720 mm for females Weight: The average is 26 pounds Colors and Markings: The color and pattern of the coat varies considerably between individuals and age.

Habitat Part of World: They live in Australia Environment: They are found in the Coastal Region. They live in Rain Forests and in Eucalyptus Trees.

Diet The Koala Bear does not like meat. It’s an herbivore which means it likes to eat plants. It eats mostly Eucalyptus leaves off of the trees. Koala bears have been said to be “drunk” but really intoxicated by their leaves that they eat.

Family Life Over time the average koala bear has 5 to 6 offspring. Koala Bears only have one baby at every time it’s pregnant. Twins are unknown. Gestation: 34 to 36 days The babies are born anytime of the year because of their warm climate year round. The mother takes car of their young until it’s 12 months of age or when it’s a little over 2 kg.

Social Behavior Koala Bears prefer to live alone, and not in a group. They tend to not socialize in any way.

Characteristics Temperament: They are very friendly and pleasant to be around. Habitats & Unique behavior: They sleep all through the day. When they don’t, they are most likely to be eating leaves. Defenses: They use their sharp teeth as a defense mechanism against predators of all sizes. Acquiring Food: They don’t like a lot of variety in their diet. They enjoy a nice meal of eucalyptus leaves that they find in the Eucalyptus tree, where they also make their home.

History There was once several kinds of koala bears-all but one of which died out. The earliest known member of the koala family was a browser.

Present Status Koala Bears ARE disappearing. Loss of koala habitat and koalas’ Eucalyptus Trees is leading koala threat.

Relationship to Humans Koala Bears and humans are very different. When together each one will be scared of each other, but the koala bear is really more scared of us than we are of them.

Other They are often called Koala Bears but their real name is a Marsupial. They are Herbivores. There life-span varies considerably due to stress factors probably averaging 13 to 18 years. Koala Bears also sleep 18 hours a day. They don’t live in families but are solitary mammals.

Sources Koalas.org/koala-info.html koala-bears.org/behavior.html Bearplanet.org Savethekoala.com/koalasfacts.html