Koalas are gray and white, sometimes brown.
Koalas feed only on bark and eucalyptus leaves. There are more than 800 species of trees in the world, but these animals eat only the bark and leaves of 120 of them. Interestingly, for most animals, these trees are poisonous.
Koala is a herbivorous marsupial animal, akin to wombats. For a long time, people mistakenly took koalas for bears, for example, the British called these animals "koala bear" (this expression is still preserved outside Australia), "monkey bear" or "tree bear." This erroneous representation is reflected in the scientific name of the genus koalas Phascolarctos
Koalas live in the Eastern and Southern parts of Australia (highlighted in red on the map), as well as on Kangaroo Island (brought there by humans, purple on the map). Previously, koalas also inhabited Western Australia, but were completely exterminated there.
There is an erroneous version of the origin of the word "koala", according to which it can be translated as "does not drink." The very fact, however, is obvious: koalas really rarely drink water (only during a drought or disease), since the necessary amount of fluid is contained in their food - eucalyptus leaves.
About 24-34 million years ago, the distant ancestor of the modern koalas Koalemus, who was 28 times larger than the present individuals, was in good health on Earth!
Growth of adult koalas - 60-85 cm. Weight - from 4 to 13 kg. Weight and height fluctuate depending on the place of residence: the southern koala physically surpasses its northeastern relatives. Males weigh 50% more females
Thick koal fur pushes water away when it rains, and wool on the belly saves the animal from direct sunlight.
The large sharp claws of the koala help her to climb trees successfully. The animal has two thumbs set aside, which help it to seize branches and tree trunks into a strong lock that does not open even during sleep. Sometimes a koala can hang on a branch holding on to it with only one paw.
Interestingly, koalas are one of the few mammals besides monkeys and humans that have a so-called papillary pattern on their fingertips. Thus, koala and human fingerprints are very difficult to distinguish, even with a powerful electron microscope.
