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Koala
Photo: Diliff, CC BY-SA 3.0

Forest & mountain · Mammal

Koala

Phascolarctos cinereus

The koala looks like a bear but is actually a marsupial. It eats almost nothing but eucalyptus leaves and sleeps most of the day.

Where it lives
Eucalyptus forests of eastern Australia
Diet
HerbivoreEats plants
Weight
4–15 kg
Length
75 cm
Lifespan (wild)
13–18 years

In Pawpedia: What is a mammal?What is a herbivore?

Yaman scale

Drawn side by side with Yaman, to the same scale.

It would take about 2 of them to match Yaman's height (length 75 cm). Length Yaman · 1.5 m Koala · 75 cm
Length2×= 1 Yaman

It would take about 2 of them to match Yaman's height (length 75 cm).

Weight4×= 1 Yaman

It would take about 4 of them to weigh as much as Yaman.

Common questions

Where does the koala live?

Eucalyptus forests of eastern Australia. In our zoo it lives in the Forest & mountain zone.

What does the koala eat?

It is a herbivore: it eats plants.

How big does the koala get?

Length: 75 cm. It weighs 4–15 kg.

How long does the koala live?

13–18 years in the wild.

Is the koala endangered?

On the IUCN Red List it is listed as vulnerable. Numbers are falling; it will be in danger without protection.

Got another question? Ask Yaman

Did you know?

  • It can sleep 18 to 22 hours a day, because its leaves give very little energy.
  • Its fingerprints look surprisingly like human fingerprints.
  • It rarely drinks, because it gets most of its water from leaves.

How safe is it?

  1. LC
  2. NT
  3. VU
  4. EN
  5. CR
  6. EW
  7. EX

Vulnerable. Numbers are falling; it will be in danger without protection.

IUCN Red List

How can you help these animals?

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