What kind of leaves do koala bears eat

Current students. Staff intranet. Type to search. All content. Ever wonder why koalas spend so much time up trees? Do they eat anything other than eucalyptus? Dr Valentina Mella, koala expert and all-round legend is here to answers all your leafy questions. Do Koalas eat anything other than eucalyptus? How many eucalyptus leaves does a koala eat in a day? Do humans and koalas have similar finger prints? Can a koala be framed for a crime?!

Is it true that they really have two thumbs? Koala-fied cuteness A koala getting ready to undertake a health check by our researchers. Dr Valentina Mella holding a koala. Postgraduate research student Cristina Fernandez helps a researcher conduct a health check on a koala. So why do koalas hang out in trees all the time? What are some of the biggest threats to koalas? Do they have pouches like kangaroos? Contrary to what others believe, it is not because eucalyptus makes them intoxicated.

It is just that eucalyptus leaves have very low caloric content in general and thus provide very little energy. Some scientists also believe that aside from having a nutrient-poor diet, the koala's long and specialized digestion process uses up what little energy they get from their food.

They are only seen drinking water when they are sick or under severe heat stress. Many previously believed that they only get their water from the leaves they eat and when they munch on eucalyptus leaves drenched with rainwater. But scientists have recently found that koalas also get water by licking down tree trunks during rainfall. The phenomenon called "stemflow" gives koalas access to much-needed hydration.

Koalas were observed collecting stemflow from tree trunks during a study of koalas in the Australian wild from to This discovery, according to scientists, is a crucial breakthrough that may help conservation efforts.

Koalas eat around 1 to 2 pounds of these leaves each day. Eucalyptus leaves are toxic to many animals, but koalas can detoxify it through their unique digestive system. Loraine Balita-Centeno November 13 in Environment. Puma, Cougar, Or Mountain Lion? Adult female koalas do not have a scent gland. The male genitalia is also quite prominent as well if the male sits in the right position. And just to be tricky, sub adult males can sometimes not have obvious scent glands as they are still developing into being adults.

For those who work with koalas all the time, it is quite easy to tell the difference between a male and female koala by just looking at them! Determining the sex of a juvenile koala from a distance is much more difficult as they all look quite similar at such an early age.

The only reliable method is to check the genitalia to determine a male or the lack of external genitalia and a small pouch if it is a female. Are koalas endangered? At what age do koalas become sexually active? Do koalas get drunk on eucalypt leaves? Do koalas only eat gum leaves? Do only male koalas bellow? No, females can bellow also. How can you tell the age of a koala? How fast can a koala move? How long do koalas live? How long do koalas sleep in a day?

How many leaves do koalas eat each day? How many types of eucalypt leaves do koalas eat? How many poos does a koala do a day? An adult koala can poo up to pellets in 24 hours What natural predators do koalas have? When do joeys become independent of their mother? When they are released, where do you release them? What happens to joeys and young koalas? Once joeys leave their mothers home range they become juveniles like human teenagers Juvenile male koalas that leave their maternal home ranges often struggle to find unoccupied habitat and tend to live in very poor country for the first few years until they are big enough to challenge bigger, older males.

How big is a koalas home range? What do the koalas eat in the winter? Is caring for koalas expensive? What happens when a sick koala is rescued? How do we identify each koala that comes to the hospital? How long have koalas been in Australia? How do you tell the difference between a male and female koala?

Rescue 02 Greatest threats to Koalas. Loss of habitat. Tree planting How you can help grow this vital food source. Volunteer There are many ways you can help be part of our team.