Special Sub-Topic: Cute Koalas Click Here To Play: Cute Koalas

Just before Europeans arrived in Australia, koalas appear to have been widespread but at very low abundance. This was probably the result of ?

Aborigines, who were superb hunters.. Early accounts describe the rituals that Aborigines were required to observe in killing and eating koalas.

Many of the Aboriginal tribes believed that the koala controlled the ?

rains. ...and if they treated its body with disrespect, there would be drought and their tribe would suffer.

The Queensland male koala has an average body weight of 6.5kg. What is the average body weight of the Victorian male koala ?

12kg. Queensland koalas have short, pale grey fur, which together with their small body size, is thought to be an adaptation to the warmer climate.

Koalas are marsupials and give birth to a single young in mid-summer. At birth, the koala is ?

naked and looks like a pink jellybean.. However, it has well developed forearms and claws on its forepaws which it uses to climb up the fur of the mother's belly to find the pouch opening.

After five months, weaning commences. This is initiated when the mother ejects partially digested leaf, known as 'pap' from her ?

anus. The baby feeds on this. This is how the bacterial culture required to digest the special leaves it eats is introduced to the young's gut.

A baby koala is called a ?

joey.

After the start of weaning, where does the baby koala spend another six months?

on her mother's back.. This occurs when the joey is too large to live in the pouch any longer.

Koalas are very fussy eaters. The major part of their diet is formed by ?

eucalypt leaves. While there are hundreds of different species of eucalypt in Australia, koalas will feed from only a small number of these. Favourites include the Manna Gum and Swamp Gum in Victoria and Grey Gum and Red Gum are preferred in NSW and Qld.

Koalas are arboreal, spending most of their time in trees. They are also ?

nocturnally active.. Although spending much of their time in trees, they do not build nests or seek shelter in bad weather, but rely on their very thick fur to protect them from the elements and keep them warm.

Koalas change trees frequently. How do they do this?

By walking along the ground..

How many fresh leaves will a koala eat daily?

about 0.5kg. About a shopping bag full.

For how long do koalas sleep?

Up to 18 hours per day.. OUtside their breeding season they do little but eat and sleep.

Sexually mature at 2 years, when do koalas reach their full body size?

4 years. Although capable of breeding at 2 years, they seldom do.

What is the gestation period of the koala?

35 days.

A disease which is widespread in many koala populations causing infertility, blindness and other complications which can be fatal is?

Chlamydia psitacci. While this bacterium poses no threat to the species it increases problems for koala populations already under pressure in urban areas.

It is far more interesting to look at koalas in their natural home, the bush rather than in zoos and wildlife parks. A good time to look for them is ?

in the hour before dusk.. Koalas become active in the hour before dusk and this is a good time to get a look at them.

The best time of the year to go koala spotting is: ?

late spring and early summer.. At this time of year, the feamles often have large babies sitting on their backs. Also you will hear the males bellowing, as this is the start of the breeding season.

When you spot a koala, just stand still and watch it. Try not to frighten it (a pair of binoculars will be useful), because koalas have ?

acute hearing. Noises such as cracking twigs will disturb koalas so be quiet.

An Aboriginal dreamtime story tells of how the koala raced the moon across the sky. The koala lost the challenge and consequently lost his ?

ability to talk. The male koala can be heard bellowing loudly, especially at breeding season.

The fossil remains of a koala ancestor have been found in Central Australia. How old is the fossil?

15 million years old.