Koala: Bushfires in Australia | 23 Jan 2020

Australia is in the grips of a nationwide bushfire emergency which has severely affected wildlife.

It’s been estimated that 1.25 billion native animals have perished in the Australian bushfires, including koalas, kangaroos, wallabies, wombats, echidnas and more.
Koalas are among the first animals to perish in wildfires because the slow-moving creatures can’t outrun the flames.

Koala is (Phascolarctos cinereus) an arboreal (lives in trees) marsupial.
- Marsupial: A marsupial is born in a very incomplete state. They are minute, hairless and with hind limbs only partially formed. Around 2/3^rd of them live in Australia. The other third live mostly in South America.
- Instead of the placenta, the mother’s milk nourishes the young and allows it to grow and develop.
- Although the word ‘marsupial’ comes from the Latin word ‘marsupium’, which means ‘pouch’, not all marsupials have pouches.
They are endemic to Australia.
Due to the low nutrient levels of the Eucalyptus leaves they feed on, the koala can sleep up to 18 hours each day.
IUCN status: Vulnerable
Threats: Habitat destruction, climate change & severe weather (Droughts, extreme temperatures).