Phascolarctidae

The scientific name of a koala bear is Phascolarctos cinereus. A koala bear is a mammal and it is also a herbivore. In the wild, a koala bear can live up to 20 years in age. Size: 23.5 to 33.5 in (60 to 85 cm). Weight: 20 lbs ( 9 kg). Size relative to a 6ft (2-m) man. Koalas live in the eastern Australia, where the eucalyptus trees they love are most plentiful. In fact, they rarely leave these trees, and their sharp claws and opposable digits easily keep them aloft. During the day, they doze, tucked into forks or nooks in their trees, sleeping for up to 18 hours. These plump, fuzzy mammals were widely hunted during the 1920s and 1930s, and their populations plunged. Helped by reintroduction, they have reappeared over much of their former range, but their populations are smaller and scattered. Koalas need a lot of space—about a hundred trees per animal—a pressing problem as Australia's woodlands continue to shrink. When not asleep a koala feeds on eucalyptus leaves, especially at night. Koalas do not drink much water and they get most of their moisture from these leaves. Each animal eats a tremendous amount for its size—about two and a half pounds (one kilogram) of leaves a day. Koalas even store snacks of leaves in pouches in their cheeks. A special digestive system—a long gut—allows koalas to break down the tough eucalyptus leaves and remain unharmed by their poison. Koalas eat so many of these leaves that they take on a distinctive odor from their oil, reminiscent of…

*Ominivory, insectivory, carnivory, and herbivory are all common food habits among Metatheria *Some groups that exhibit omnivory are American oppossums (Didelphidae), Australian possums (Phalangeridae) and bandicoots (Peramelidae). *…

Diseases affect both human and animal populations. The epidemic is worse in a wildlife case scenario. This is because the animals are scattered in the wild. It is hard to account for the infected animals. Furthermore, it is even harder to avail treatment to the infected animals. Wildlife is very important to our ecosystem. Besides, they are a tourist attraction. Therefore, wildlife must be protected from extinction. Australia continent is very famous for koalas. Koalas are very…