Koala

The Koala is the Queensland Animal Emblem.

We never saw them when we were kids living where we did in the bush but when I lived in Queensland later in life I saw them all the time and obviously as Aussie kids we just loved them.

Well let's face it, they're just plain, damn cute!

The Australian Koala is an arboreal (tree dwelling) marsupial mammal.

They have a compact body with thick grey coloured fur, a broad head, large nose, and small eyes.

As they do not use dens or shelters, their fur is important for insulation.

They have strong limbs, large paws and sharp claws which they use to grip smooth-barked eucalyptus trees.

They are herbivorous marsupials - meaning they feed on plants.

And they are choosy eaters, feeding on around 30 species of eucalyptus trees only.

They spend about three of their five active and awake hours eating.

Females reach maturity at 2 to 3 years of age, males at 3 to 4 years. They can produce one joey each year for about 12 years.

A baby is referred to as a joey and is hairless, earless and blind.

Breeding takes place once a year, normally between November and March. Gestation period is around 35 days.

When born, the joey, which is less than 15mm long, crawls into the downward facing pouch on the mother's belly and attaches itself to one of the teats, they remain in the pouch for about six months, feeding only on milk.

After this period the joey will remain with its mother for a further six months or thereabouts, clinging to her back, and learning to feed on both milk and gum leaves until it is weaned at about twelve months of age.

They are basically solitary animals, other than during the breeding season, there is very little interaction between them.

In the area of an established group, individuals will have a number of trees that are theirs and a number of trees that mark the edge of their range.

Any Koala that trespasses into another's tree can be attacked but they leave scent markings and scratchings to warn other animals that the tree is occupied. Being mostly nocturnal animals means they generally feed and move after sundown.

They rarely leave the trees as the trees offer security, and when they do it is largely to move to another tree for food.

They have a variety of sounds which they use for communication. Mothers and babies make soft clicking and squeaking sounds, they will gently murmur to each other, or they will grunt if they are cross. All of them can let out an alarming, high-pitched scream when they are afraid.

Before 1900 they numbered in the millions, but in the early 20th century they were hunted almost to extinction, mostly for their fur.

There have been diseases in recent years that have hit some colonies hard.

Koalas were relocated to a number of islands where they were not found naturally.

On the mainland the populations are declining. In contrast to the mainland, on many islands they have reached what has been described as "plague" proportions.

This is an ongoing issue for some Australian communities.

The Koala is a protected species.

The Koala was proclaimed the Queensland Animal Emblem in 1971