Koalas

In news– Recently, Australia has classified Koalas as ‘endangered’ after widespread bushfires, drought and land clearing destroyed much of their eucalyptus-rich habitat.

About Koalas-

A koala or koala bear is an arboreal herbivorous marsupial native to Australia.
It is the only extant representative of the family Phascolarctidae and its closest living relatives are the wombats.
It is easily recognisable by its stout, tailless body and large head with round, fluffy ears and large, spoon-shaped nose.
It has a body length of 60–85 cm and weighs 4–15 kg.
Its fur colour ranges from silver grey to chocolate brown.
According to fossil records, Koala species have inhabited parts of Australia for at least 25 million years. But today, only one species remains i.e., the Phascolarctos cinereus.
They were classified as “vulnerable” only in 2012.
They are found in the wild in the southeast and eastern sides of Australia in coastal Queensland, New South Wales, South Australia and Victoria.
They inhabit open Eucalyptus woodland, the leaves of these trees make up most of their diet.
The species is sexually dimorphic, with males 50% larger than females.
They are asocial animals, and bonding exists only between mothers and dependent offspring.
Adult males communicate with loud bellows that intimidate rivals and attract mates.
Males mark their presence with secretions from scent glands, located on their chests.
Being marsupials, koalas give birth to underdeveloped young that crawl into their mothers’ pouches, where they stay for the first six to seven months of their lives.
These young koalas, known as joes, are fully weaned around a year old.
The koala has one of the smallest brains in proportion to body weight of any mammal, being 60% smaller than that of a typical diprotodont.
Because of its small brain, the koala has a limited ability to perform complex, unfamiliar behaviours.
Its vision is not well developed, and its relatively small eyes are unusual among marsupials in that the pupils have vertical slits.
Another major threat to Koala population is the spread of chlamydia, a sexually transmitted disease known to cause blindness and cysts in the koalas reproductive tract.