Fun Koala Facts For Kids

When you think about koalas, the first thing to pop into your head is cute, fuzzy, and slow little bears in trees, living their best lazy lives possible. Koalas (Phascolarctos cinereus) are arboreal animals found in south and eastern Australia in various states like Queensland, New South Wales, and the surrounding islands.

Koalas are marsupials and belong to the class of mammals. They are mostly found living in eucalyptus forests and feed on the leaves of various eucalyptus trees. Koalas are nocturnal animals and are known to stay awake and eat at night.

They are found on the southern coasts of Australia and can swim. They can move at a speed of about 18 mph (30 kph). Their diet includes only tree leaves, and that of the newborn koala includes milk from their mother.

A koala is either sleeping or eating and is known to sleep for about 20 hours a day. They have sharp claws which help them in climbing trees.

Koalas are threatened by bacteria, pesticides, humans, and natural activities. The koala population has been decreasing over the years, and there are fewer than 100,000 individuals left across the globe. Continue reading for more koala facts and information.

If you liked reading about these facts, you could also check other facts on the giant panda bear and the red kangaroo.

Koala Interesting Facts

What type of animal is a koala?

Koalas are closely related to wombats and are marsupials. This mammal species are classified under their own family, which is known as Phascolarctidae. Even though koalas are often called koala bears, they are biologically not bears but marsupials.

What class of animal does a koala belong to?

Koalas are known to be classified under their own Phascolarctidae family. Koalas are very different from other mammal species in various aspects, one of which is giving birth to underdeveloped young.

Koalas belong to the Animalia kingdom and Phascolarctos genus. Feeding mostly on leaves from big trees like eucalyptus trees, koalas are very lazy and spend most of their life sleeping.

How many koalas are there in the world?

According to the Australian Koala Foundation, there are less than 100,000 koalas left in the world, and they suspect that the numbers can be as low as 43,000 individuals. Koalas have earned the conservation status of Vulnerable as these species are in danger of getting endangered or, worse, extinct if nothing is done to change the current situation.

When it comes to koala populations, they have been facing a massive decline in their populations over the years because of various natural and human reasons.

Koalas have been decreasing in the wild because of many reasons like loss of habitat, overpopulation in forests, domestic dogs and cats attacking them and killing them, and many koalas dying in road accidents as well.

Koalas generally live in eucalyptus forests and any forests with big eucalyptus trees as they exclusively depend on eucalyptus leaves for food. Deforestation results in koalas losing their habitat, which becomes a big reason for their population loss.

Apart from the above reasons, pesticides and polluting natural water sources also infect the koalas with harmful diseases, resulting in their death.

Where does a koala live?

Koalas are known to live in huge Eucalypt forests and low Eucalypt woodlands of Mainland Australia (eastern), and some of the islands present on the eastern and southern coasts.

Some of the states where koalas are found naturally in the wild are Victoria, Queensland, South Australia, and New South Wales. Koalas are an arboreal species as they live in trees, whether they are sleeping or eating.

Koalas live in a big eucalyptus tree as it is more vulnerable to its predators in the wild if it lives on the ground.

What is a koala's habitat?

The koala population's habitat includes big eucalyptus forests or low eucalypt woodlands in the Australian states and islands. They are dependent on eucalyptus leaves and other leaves from Australian forest trees for food and are generally seen sleeping or eating on these trees.

Koalas are seen feeding on gum leaves from gum trees, which include more than 100 eucalyptus tree species. The koala habitat is generally disturbed by humans for various reasons, and even nature contributes to their habitat loss.

Who do koalas live with?

Koalas are known to live in complex social groups. It is a very territorial animal and does migrate instead of staying in the same place. Male koalas live with female koalas during the breeding season. Else, you will only spot them eating and living a solitary life in their trees.

How long does a koala live?

The lifespan of koalas depends on their habitat and living conditions. In the wild, they are known to live for about 13-18 years.

Koala bears do pretty well in captivity, as they live for more than 15 years in captivity. They are known to live shorter lives in harsh conditions.

The life of koalas depends on a lot of factors like the natural conditions, disturbances caused by humans, and availability of food as the diet of koalas includes only leaves as they are herbivores.

How do they reproduce?

Koalas are quite active from August to March and generally breed during this time. They are dioecious organisms and are known to reproduce sexually.

Both male and female koalas are required for mating to happen, followed by fertilization of egg and sperm, and lastly, giving birth to young ones. Finding partners is unique as males use their special sounds or vocal calls to attract female koalas.

The female koalas are known to have a gestation period of about 30-36 days, after which an underdeveloped koala joey is born, and the newborns crawl by themselves to the mother's pouch.

The baby koala is known as a joey, and its nourishment and development take place inside the mother's pouch. The joey is known to feed on their mother's milk for the first couple of months.

What is their conservation status?

The current conservation status for the koala populations is Vulnerable. Koalas are considered to be vulnerable animals as their numbers in our world have been going down over the years because of various natural and human interference.

Koala habitats are being disturbed by human activities resulting in a decline in their population. Humans should ensure they do not go extinct, with the worldwide count of koalas being less than 100,000 (estimated to be near 43000 adults).

Koala Fun Facts

What do koalas look like?

Koalas are gray-brown with white-colored fur on the chest region. They have a black nose, furry ears, and a big round head.

They have very cute faces. These animals have no fur on their nose or palms and have white fur on the inner arms, bottom, and ears.

Koalas feed only on Eucalyptus leaves, and adult koalas are known to eat about 17-28 oz (500-800 g) of leaves every day; their sharp claws aid them in climbing trees and branches. Their teeth help these animals chew their food nicely.

Females have a koala pouch in which the little joey stays and develops for the first few months as it feeds on milk from its mother. Koalas are not very big and are extremely lazy marsupials; they are either sleeping or eating throughout the day.

How cute are they?

Koalas are very cute, and they have fluffy ears and round heads. A joey (young koala) is the cutest version of a koala you will ever see.

How do they communicate?

Koalas communicate by marking trees with the scent produced by their scent gland, which creates an oily substance that has a strong smell. They also use a range of deep grunting sounds to communicate over large distances, and males use this to signify their position.

How big is a koala?

Koalas do not grow to be very big. They grow to a length of 27-36 in (70-90 cm) and a height of up to 23-35 in (60-91 cm).

Koalas are marsupials and not bears. When compared to bears, an adult brown bear is eight to 10 times the size of a koala.

How fast can a koala move?

These animals are very lazy and are hardly spotted moving, but they can move at a speed of 18 mph (30 kph).

How much does a koala weigh?

Koalas are small marsupials, and they weigh between 09-29 lb (4-13 kg).

What are the male and female names of the species?

There are no names in particular for males and females. They are referred to as Phascolarctos cinereus in scientific naming.

What would you call a baby koala?

The cute koala baby is called a Joey.

What do they eat?

The koala's diet includes only leaves from their specific food trees which mostly include the eucalyptus tree.

Koalas are a part of the diet of many other animals because owls, eagles, and pythons hunt them. Mostly joeys are targeted as they are lightweight and easy prey.

Are they dangerous?

Yes, if they are threatened, their sharp claws and teeth can cause serious damage and injuries to humans. They can get very vicious and there have been multiple accounts of them attacking humans. Their bites could cause a human to bleed to death if the human were unable to escape away from the koala.

Would they make a good pet?

The Australian Koala Foundation has deemed it illegal to keep koalas as pets anywhere in the world. Only authorized zoos or researchers may keep them. They probably would not be good pets as they are known to be stressed around humans and might resort to attacking them if they feel threatened.

Did you know...

One of the best koala bear facts is that this animal is found only in Australia.

One of the fun koala facts for kids is that a koala is known to have poor eyesight and relies more on its other senses.

Baby koalas, or joeys, often stay pretty close to their mother until they turn six months old, after which they are generally seen on the mother's back. A young koala, or joey, feeds on its mother's poop for the first few months as it provides the necessary proteins.

One of many great facts about the koala is that an adult koala swims in water.

Can koalas bite you?

Yes, adult koalas can bite or scratch humans if they feel threatened, and they become aggressive when they are stressed.

Koala Fun Facts For Kids

Koalas sleep for 20 hours a day. They eat about 17-28 oz (500-800 g) of leaves, and sleeping for so long helps them conserve energy to chew these leaves.

Where can you hold a koala?

There is only one place in the whole world where you can hold or pet a koala, and that is Australia. You can try visiting the Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary to have a chance to hold them.

Koalas are found naturally and only in states and islands of Australia, and some of the popular states with koalas are Queensland, Southern Australia, and Victoria.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly animal facts for everyone to discover! Learn more about some other mammals from our woodchuck facts or lion facts.

You can even occupy yourself at home by coloring in one of our free printable koala coloring pages.