AUSTRALIA - Animals

The Koala Bear

The koala is found in coastal regions of Australia on eastern and southern parts. It is one representative of the still living marsupial family. It lives 10 years in average for males and 15 years for female. It has become with the kangaroo, a major symbol of Australia. It only eats the leaves of some species of eucalyptus. After being heavily hunted for its fur, it is now mainly threatened by the fragility of its habitat.

The koala is between 61 and 85 cm and weighs between 4 and 14 kg for the standard species.The measures and proportions of an adult animal depend on age, gender, diet and region. In cooler climates, koalas are generally larger. In Victoria, adult males can reach up to 14 kg, females up to 11 kg. The average weight of the animals in the northern regions is lower : males reach 12 kg , females 8 kg. Queensland koalas, are generally smaller, the average weight of males reaches 8 kg, 6 kg for females. When stressed, the koala can push a loud cry which somewhat resembles that of a human baby. Females as well as males use the cry of stress. It is issued when the individual is stressed and is often accompanied by tremors. Handling koalas may cause them stress and stress resulting from this manipulation is part of the political debate in Australia.

At its birth, the newborn ramps to the pocket of its mother. It then weighs less than an ounce and measures 1.5 to 1.8 cm long (the size of a pea ), it is blind, naked and underdeveloped. It is very comparable to a foetus. Yet, claws and arms are developed enough, which helps it to crawl into the pouch without the help of its mother. The senses of touch and smell are already developed. The baby continues to mature and is breastfed for six to seven months in the pocket. ( The twins are very rare, the first twins born in captivity were named " Euca " and " Lyptus " and were those of the University Of Queensland.) Throughout Australia, koalas births take place every month of the year. in Queensland, 60 % of births take place between December and March, both genders. In South Australia, half of the males are born in November and half of the females are not born until December. There are more males than females in some parts of south Australia.

After about 22 weeks, it opens its eyes and begins to look out of the pocket. Between 22 and 30 weeks, it receives additional food, called " slurry " that its mother produces. The " slurry " is a specific form of a soft material of partially digested leaves that facilitates the transition from milk to young leaves, making it acquire the necessary bacteria to digest eucalyptus leaves. A decisive step. This is when he learns to grasp leaves in its hands and to sniff carefully before eating . However , the young koala still drinks the mother's milk until the age of one year old.

With the beginning of the leafy diet, at about 7 or 8 months old, young koalas grow much faster and become stocky. Now the youth is transported onto the back of its mother, while still seeking refuge in its mother's pouch .

Once bigger, it dares to make its first escapades near the mother. After about 12 months, the young koala is sufficiently independent so that the mother can get pregnant again. Normally, about 18 months young koalas are expelled by the mother. However, if the mother does not expect a new baby, young koalas can still enjoy the maternal protection until another three years . After its expulsion, it is left to find its own territory. Koalas then wander around, looking for a habitat that is unoccupied or near other koalas. Females tend to settle in the area, while males often go further.
Koalas, in a lot of territories, are sometimes forced to travel great distances to find a suitable place . This movement allows genetic exchange between breeding groups and thus ensures the genetic diversity of populations.

Theo & Oceane