[Blog Post] Australian Animal Facts - The Koala

• Koalas are not bears although many people call them “koala bears.” They are marsupials, a group of mammals that carry their young in a pouch.
• The koala has fingerprints that when viewed, even with electron microscopes, are similar to those of humans; it can be quite difficult to differentiate between the two.
• The koala is one of a very few mammals (aside from all primates) that has fingerprints.
• The Koala’s closest living relative is the wombat.
• Koalas rarely drink water, due to their diet of eucalyptus leaves. Eucalyptus leaves contain enough moisture to supply most of the koala’s water needs.
• Koalas have slow metabolisms. They sleep or rest for most of the day.
• Baby koalas are called joeys.
• Koalas almost became extinct. But due to conservation efforts, koalas have made a comeback. Loss of natural habitat due to logging, residential construction and real estate development, and farming still keeps koalas at risk.

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