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There is such a profession in some zoos - scratching a koala. But to get such a position is not so simple, who will refuse to bother with such a cute and good-natured animal, enjoying it, and receiving a salary in addition ?!
Koala bears differ significantly from their counterparts of brown and polar bears. It is not for nothing that they are called wood bears, because they are inhabitants of eucalyptus trees. And they belong to the genus of marsupials, and are not related to other bears. Koalas belong to the family of koalas, and only another species can be added remotely to a close relative - this is a wombat.
Translated from the local dialect, koala means "non-drinker of water." But the bear may not drink large quantities of water, but licks dew with appetite, which is collected in large quantities on eucalyptus leaves.
Appearance
Koala cubs are medium sized animals. The muzzle is flattened, the eyes are small, it seems that the animal is a bit blind. The dark nose is also slightly flattened, but it is quite large and leathery. Teeth intended for processing hard leaves are strong; incisors are particularly distinguished by their sharp edges. Ears are rounded, very wide apart, relatively large, with long hair at the edges.
The tail is very reminiscent of a bear: as short, almost invisible.
All limbs are elongated, because you have to constantly move through the trees. Therefore, the brushes of the upper paws consist of several parts - for ease of movement. The lower legs are shorter, and they are not so strong.
The claws of a wood bear have a number of advantages: both long and curved in an arc. Thanks to such qualities, it is very convenient to stay on the branch, and you can keep the weight up to 15 kg.
What scientists were quite surprised at the time was the fingerprint of the animal. It turned out that in all respects it corresponds to the imprint of the human. There is another unusual fact, and it relates to the structure of the genital organs. The female has as many as two vaginas and two uterus. Accordingly, males have two penises.
But the animal’s brain is amazingly small in relation to the total mass - only 0.02 percent. Presumably, the ancestors of this species were more “intelligent”, having a larger brain volume, but since the koala’s life does not imply a lot of brain activity, similar evolutionary changes have occurred. However, this sympathy for him does not decrease.
The coat of the animal is short and thick, very pleasant to the touch. By the way, this her quality led to the fact that animals were massively destroyed by people because of the attractiveness of fur. The color of the coat is usually smoky gray, and on the abdomen is much lighter, a brownish tint can also occur.
Habitat
Marsupial bear is a typical inhabitant of Australia. And its habitats are entirely dependent on the presence of eucalyptus trees, which are both a home, and a dining room, and a resting place. People, of course, are trying to increase the distribution area of koalas, but over time it became clear that only the presence of eucalyptus trees will help the normal life of the animals, and not the leaves brought from far away.
The habitat of tree bears is only eucalyptus forests, as they are inextricably linked to this tree by the food chain.
Unusual diet
Researchers for a long time could not understand how this happens: the poisonous leaves of a tree can kill most animals, they should even eat a small amount, and for a koala this is a normal diet.
And they managed to identify a number of features that distinguish koalas from other animals:
- Firstly, koalas have a group of active genes that are found in the heart, liver and some other organs, and they help determine the composition of leaves and juice, helping to perceive sweets.
- Secondly, they have more taste buds, which are responsible for recognizing the bitter taste, than other animals.
There are other receptors in the body that allow you to clearly assess the nutritional value of the plant.
The whole danger of eucalyptus is that it contains a large amount of hydrocyanic acid, which is toxic to living organisms. But koalas are least afraid of its toxic effects. They also have cases of poisoning, but they can choose the type of plant that has a much lower content of harmful acid in different seasons. Mass poisonings of koalas were recorded only if, for some reason, for example, due to weather conditions, they could not change plants.
For food, the marsupial bear chooses leaves and very young shoots, only the best, but not because he is such a gourmet. Everything is explained much simpler: eucalyptus leaves contain very few calories, therefore the most fleshy ones are needed for nutrition, so that the animal does not lose energy and power to process plant foods. Of course, after a very satisfying meal, the animal needs a rest time of at least 22 hours, since all the processes in it proceed in a slowed down rhythm. It is good that man does not have such needs, otherwise there would never have been progress on Earth.
Koalas are drunk very rarely, mostly they have enough dew from the leaves.
Lifestyle
The life of koalas goes as if in slow motion. They are sitting in the same position or sleeping. Psychologists could say that these creatures are phlegmatic. When they feel hungry, they don’t need to hunt for a long time, ambushed, or with difficulty getting food. She is always there, it is worth making one small effort - turn your head and pick a leaf from a tree, and then chew it slowly too.
If there is a desire to move to a neighboring tree, the animal simply reaches for it with tenacious paws. But, if the distance is large, the koala slowly descends and overcomes the distance on the ground. Its slowness often causes death when the animal enters a busy road. The average life expectancy of wood bears is about 18 years.
However, koalas are not always so slow. If they feel that life is in danger, jumping onto a branch or another tree can quickly and deftly. They also know how to swim, and not bad enough. But only an exceptional case can push them to dare to sail, they themselves will never dare to enter the water.
Koalas are very lucky in that eucalyptus trees scare away animals, but they have enough enemies on the ground. Of particular danger are domestic dogs and wild dingoes. But nevertheless, the meat of koalas is saturated with a specific smell of eucalyptus, therefore it does not appeal to animals.
But adversity can come from the other side. These animals suffer from diseases. They may have a cold or conjunctivitis. In captivity, cases were observed when animals died from complications due to diseases. And it’s difficult to treat them first of all because they endure anesthesia extremely hard.
A large percentage of koalas perishes if a forest zone ignites. But the state of Australia does not leave animals in trouble. There are even rehabilitation centers with veterinary services, so there is hope that these friendly and very cute animals will not disappear.
Matrimonial period and procreation
Koalas can make various sounds. But they do this very rarely and only in exceptional situations: if it is very scary, the male was abandoned by the alleged chosen one or the animal was injured and it hurts.In another case, a koala can scream loudly when it is necessary to attract a female, because she will choose the male that surpasses all the others in sonority.
These animals do not need to live in a collective, and they do not need a clearly defined individual space for which they would have to fight. But when the mating season begins, everything changes in the life of slow animals. Then laziness is transferred to other times, animals create groups, in each of which a male and from three to five females are necessarily present.
To attract brides, the male makes the following movements: on trees, he begins to rub his chest against the vegetation, leaving the most unusual smell on the branches. This specific aroma must be taught by females. And only they can be seduced by a similar aroma, for other animals it is rather repulsive. And then the male climbs to the top of the tree and begins to make loud low sounds, more like a roar.
Females at this time listen to invocation sounds and sniff the traces left. Having chosen a more worthy candidate, they visit the male. Mating takes place on a tree.
The gestation of the cubs lasts a short time - 30–35 days. Kids appear very small, weigh no more than 5 grams, and the body length is only 2 cm. More often one cub is born, less often several. Koalas cannot boast of fertility. Statistics say that females are always born more.
All their early childhood, children sit in their mother’s bag, eating milk. By the way, the bag, unlike other marsupials, opens only back.
Growing up and emboldened cubs eventually travel along the back of their parents, clinging tenaciously to her coat. But mother spends this time to teach kids various tricks for survival, lays in them all the vital fundamentals. If suddenly danger looms ahead, they either hide in a bag, but they can also hang on the wool.
If at a young age the baby is excommunicated from the parent, he perceives such a loss very hard, is very sad and cries.
When a year passes, older children behave differently. Females leave their mother in search of their own shelter, and immediately get used to living independently. But the males are less fit. They live with their mother for another year or several years. But only until complete ripening has occurred. Then they finally part, and already this is a real male who is ready to continue the race.
The offspring of koalas are reproduced only once every two years.
Video: Koala (Phascolarctos cinereus)
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