Phascolarctos cinereus (Koala)
| Kingdom : | Animalia | ||||||
| Filum : | Chordata | ||||||
| Kelas : | Mammalia | ||||||
| Infrakelas : | Marsupialia | ||||||
| Ordo : | Diprotodontia | ||||||
| Subordo : | Vombatiformes | ||||||
| Famili : | Phascolarctidae | ||||||
| Genus : | Phascolarctos | ||||||
| Spesies : | P. cinereus |
The Life Cycle of Koala
The breeding season for Koalas is approximately August to February. This is a time of increased amovement for Koalas, with sound levels
increasing as males bellow more frequently. This is also when the young
from the previous year leave their mothers and disperse.Females generally start breeding at about three or four years of age, usually producing one offspring each year. However some produce depends on factors such as age and habitat quality.
Once conceived, it is only 35 days before the birth of the baby Koala, called a "joey". The joey makes its way from the birth canal to the pouch completely unaided, relying on its already well-developed senses of smell and touch, strong forelimbs and claws and innate sense of direction. Once inside the safety of the pouch, the joey attaches itself to one of the two teats, which swells to fill its mouth. This prevents the joey from being dislodged from its food source. The mother contracts her strong sphincter muscle at the pouch opening to prevent the baby from falling out.
The baby feeds regularly on the pap, and as it grows it emerges totally
from the pouch and lies on its mother's belly to feed. Eventually it
begins to feed upon fresh leaves as it rides on her back. The young
Koala continues to take milk from its mother until it is about a year
old, but as it can no longer fit in the pouch, the mother's teat
elongates to protrude from the pouch opening.
About Koala
The koalas live in eastern Australia and range from northern Queensland to southwestern Victoria.
The koalas live in eastern Australia and range from northern Queensland to southwestern Victoria.
The koalas
live in eastern Australia and range from northern Queensland to southwestern
Victoria. Koalas are
arboreal, remaining mostly in the branches of the eucalyptus trees, where they
are able to feed and stay out of reach of their predators. The koala is
confined to eucalyptus forests below 600 m.
Koalas
from the southern end of the range are generally larger in size than their
northern counterparts. In both areas they exhibit sexual dimorphism with the
males being larger. In the south, males have an average head-body length of 78
cm and females 72 cm. The koala's have a vestigial tail. Average weights are: in the south, males--11.8 kg, females--7.9 kg; in the north, males--6.5 kg, females 5.1 kg "Males are up to 50% heavier than females, have a broader face, somewhat smaller ears, and a large chest gland ." Females have two mammae; and rather than a chest gland, have a pouch that opens to the rear and extends upward and forward . Koalas have dense, wooly fur that is gray to brown on top and varies with geographic location. There is white on the chin, chest and inner side of the forelimbs. The rump is often dappled with white patches and the ears are fringed with long white hairs . The coat is generally shorther and lighter in the north of range. The paws are large, and both fore and hind feet have five strongly clawed digits. On the forepaw the first and second digits oppose the other three which enables the koala to grip branches as it climbs. The first digit of the hind foot is short and greatly broadened while the second and third digits are relatively small and partly syndactylous but have separate claws.
During the day they doze, tucked into forks or nooks in the trees, sleeping for up to 18 hours. When not asleep a koala feeds on eucalyptus leaves, especially at night. Koalas do not drink much water and they get most of their moisture from these leaves. Each animal eats a tremendous amount for its size—about two and a half pounds of leaves a day. Koalas even store snacks of leaves in pouches in their cheeks.
A special digestive system—a long gut—allows koalas to break down the tough eucalyptus leaves and remain unharmed by their poison. Koalas eat so many of these leaves that they take on a distinctive odor from their oil, reminiscent of cough drops.
A special digestive system—a long gut—allows koalas to break down the tough eucalyptus leaves and remain unharmed by their poison. Koalas eat so many of these leaves that they take on a distinctive odor from their oil, reminiscent of cough drops.
Questions :
1. ARE KOALAS PERMITTED TO BE KEPT AS PETS?
No, it is not permitted anywhere in the world. It is illegal to have a Koala as a pet anywhere, even in Australia. The only people who are permitted to have a Koala in their possession, besides suitably authorised zoos, are, occasionally, scientists, and the people who are taking care of sick or injured Koalas or orphaned joeys. These people must have a special permit from wildlife authorities to do this work and the carers must return the animals to the wild as soon as they are well enough or, in the case of joeys, old enough, to take care of themselves. Because of Koalas’ unique physiological and dietary needs, it is a specialised job to take care of them and requires training from people who have experience in doing it.
2. WHAT ARE THE PREDATORS OF KOALA?
The dingo is very similar to a dog, The fox is a very fast predator, Various types of feral cats who live in the same areas as the Koala, The python, and The eagles.
3. HOW CAN YOU TELL A KOALA'S AGE?
As with many animals, age can be estimated from tooth wear. This is surprisingly accurate in koalas as they all share a similar diet - mainly eucalyptus leaf - and eating patterns, so the amount of wear on the molar and pre-molar teeth will be similar between one koala and another. Up until the age of 4 when the koala is physically mature, skull size and body length, and the ratio of size to weight, are also useful measurements. After the age of 4, size and weight don't change much so tooth wear is the only useful measure in an adult koala.
4. DO KOALAS SMELL LIKE EUCALYPTUS COUGH DROPS? DOES EATING EUCALYPTUS PREVENT THEM FROM BEING AFFECTED BY EXTERNAL PARASITES?
Yes, mostly Koalas do smell like cough drops or certainly a pleasant eucalyptus smell. Mature males tend to have a stronger odour because of their scent gland and it can be a strong musky odour than eucalyptus. Juvenile males are more likely to give off a very slight eucalyptus smell. Koala mothers teach their joeys how to eat different species of trees so they have a balance diet and yes, all these different leaves act like a natural insect repellent. Very clever of Mother Nature.
5. WHERE DOES THE WORD 'KOALA' COME FROM?
‘Koala’ is thought to have meant 'no drink' in one of the Aboriginal languages. Koalas don’t need to drink very often because they get most of the moisture they need from eucalyptus leaves. However, they can drink from waterholes and creeks etc if necessary, such as in times of drought when the eucalyptus leaves contain less moisture than normal. There were many different languages spoken by Aboriginal people throughout the country, although some of those languages have been lost today, and the name for a Koala appears in diverse forms in the written accounts of early settlers (coming from Aboriginal language origins) as cullewine, koolewong, colo, colah, koolah, kaola, Koala, karbor, boorabee, and goribun. As you can see some of these words are somewhat similar in sound to 'Koala'.
https://www.savethekoala.com/about-koalas/life-cycle-koala
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/k/koala/
http://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Phascolarctos_cinereus/
https://id.wikipedia.org/wiki/Koala
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