“I want to go to Australia and take the same goofy picture of me holding a koala that everyone else takes.”

Jessi Klein, Writer

All Koala Facts & Stats you need to know

Koalas are fascinating animals, yet quite little is known about them by the general public.

However, it is important to raise awareness on these animals, since they may become endangered in the near future.

In this article, several koala facts and stats your need to know are shown.

List of the most interesting Koala Stats and Facts

• A koala’s life expectancy is usually around 12 – 20 years, with an average of about 14 years.

• Koalas can weigh up to 10 kg (22 pounds). However, a koala’s weight usually lies between 4 and 7 kg (9 – 15 pounds).

• Koalas can reach a length of up to 35 inches (90 cm).

• Female koalas have a higher life expectancy than male koalas, similar to the human race.

• Koalas in the Southern part of Australia are usually considerably bigger compared to koalas in the North of Australia.

• Koalas communicate over long distances with distinctive sounds.

• Although koalas usually move quite slow, they can reach an astounding speed up to 17 miles an hour (27 km per hour).

• The biggest threats to koalas are global warming and the destruction of their natural habitats, both of them are mainly caused by humans.

• While koalas are not sensitive to cold weather, too hot weather conditions can be quite harmful to them.

• Koala Bears are not actually bears and are also not even related.

• The species that is closest related to koalas are wombats.

• Koalas belong to the family of marsupials.

• Koalas can only be found in the wild in Australia.

• Koalas often suffer from bushfires. Many Koalas die due to those fires since they are not able to rescue themselves from this natural enemy.

• In contrast to most other animals, koalas actually have fingerprints.

• On average, a koala gives birth once a year.

• A koala’s pregnancy usually lasts for a little bit more than one month.

• Koalas usually stay in their mother’s pouch for half a year.

• A baby koala is called a joey.

• At the time they are born, koalas usually weigh less than a gram.

• A newborn koala has the size of a bean, is hairless and also blind.

• Global warming is a big threat to koalas which may become endangered in the near future due to that.

• Koalas get most of the water they need to survive from leaves.

• Koalas mainly feed on Eucalyptus leaves.

• They can eat up to 1 kg of leaves a day.

• Koalas frequently change the trees they live in. Especially if they do not find enough food anymore, they are forced to leave.

• Female koalas usually prefer to mate with younger males.

• Scientists estimate that koalas even lived on our planet 20 million years ago.

• Over time, the koalas’ brain size decreased substantially. Scientists believe that this is due to their narrow diet which only provides limited nutrients.

• While most of the koalas have big black noses, there are also koalas with pink noses. And no, they are not drunk! 😉

• It is forbidden by law to keep a koala as pet.

• In the Aboriginal language, the term “koala” means “no water”. However, especially during heat waves, they also drink water from various sources.

• In order to be able to digest Eucalyptus leaves, koalas need a special digestion system since Eucalyptus is toxic to most animals.

• Even though most of them have grey fur, some koalas with white fur have been observed in the wild.

• Koalas sleep most of the time. In fact, they are unable to stay awake for more than 4 hours.

• Koalas are also nocturnal animals, meaning that they are usually only awake at nighttime.

• There are also homosexual koalas around.

• Koalas use trees to lower their body temperature on hot summer days.

• Scientists estimate that there are between 40,000 and 80,000 koalas left in Australia.

• Koalas can be regarded as endangered animals. If the rate of decline continues as it did in the past, they could be extinct in a few decades. Thus, it is crucial that the Australian government takes measures in order to protect the koala species.

Sources

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Koala

https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/k/koala/

https://www.wwf.org.au/what-we-do/species/koala

About the author

My name is Andreas and my mission is to educate people of all ages about our environmental problems and how everyone can make a contribution to mitigate these issues.

As I went to university and got my Master’s degree in Economics, I did plenty of research in the field of Development Economics.

After finishing university, I traveled around the world. From this time on, I wanted to make a contribution to ensure a livable future for the next generations in every part of our beautiful planet.

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