Koalas Quiz
How many koalas are in the wild?
- Koalas are not yet classified as endangered, but there numbers have dropped 90% in the last decade. There are only 2,000-8,000 koalas in the wild.
Koalas are related to wombats and...
- Despite the name koala bear, koalas are actually related to wombats and kangaroos. The name koala bear comes from the fact that koalas look like little teddy bears. The koala is a marsupial.
What is a koala's young called?
- Baby koala's are called joeys. This is the term that is also used for kangaroos, wallabies, wombats, and opposums.
How big is an adult koala?
- Koala's reach about 25-30 inches when they are fully grown. This is smaller than a 21-month-old child!
How long do koala's sleep?
- Koalas do indeed sleep most of the day away, spending about 20 hours a day resting. The other 4 or 5 hours a day are spent finding food, eating, and mating at times.
Why do koala's hug trees?
- Scientists have noticed that when it's warm, koala's go to lower branches in the trees. The thermal cameras used show that koalas hug the trees to stay cool, and they wedge their butts into the coolest corner they can find.
What does koala (or "gula") mean in its original language, Dharuk?
- The Dharuk name "gula," which became "koala" means "no water." This comes from an old misbelief that koalas didn't need to drink. Eucalyptus leaves provide a huge amount of their water, but they do drink sometimes.
What do koalas eat?
- Koalas are actually very picky eaters. While they eat about a pound of eucalyptus leaves a day, they stick to trees that have high protein and no toxins. This limits them to only 30 of the 600 eucalyptus leave varieties.
How many trees does it take to provide sustenance for one koala?
- In order to survive, koalas need about 100 trees each. This is why even though hunting koalas has been banned, the population continues to decrease. Deforestation has threatened koalas immensely.
What is the primary animal predator to koalas?
- Dogs are the primary predator to koalas. On average, 110 koalas are attacked and killed by domestic dogs each year.
