Koala (Vulnerable) 🐨
1. The koala or, inaccurately, koala bear (Phascolarctos cinereus), is an arboreal
herbivorous marsupial native to Australia. The koala is found in coastal areas of
the mainland's eastern and southern regions, inhabiting Queensland, New South
Wales, Victoria and South Australia.
2. According to a report by AKF, Australia's largest koala conservation
organization, the number of koalas in the country has dropped from an estimated
82,000 in 2018 to around 32,000-58,000 in 2021. NSW) has seen the biggest drop
in koala numbers, with a 41% drop since 2018. The fierce bushfires that occurred
between 2019-2020 are believed to be one of the causes of the situation. this.
Mr. Bill Ellis - a researcher at the University of Queensland's School of
Agriculture and Food Science, has been studying koala populations since the 90s
of the last century and said this animal is second in history. face the danger of
extinction. Before that, the koala was almost "wiped out" due to the fur trade.
3. Adult koalas usually have a body length from 60 cm to 85 cm with a weight of 4
kg to 5 kg. You can easily recognize a koala with a large and black nose, round
ears and silver or chocolate gray fur. Koalas in northern populations are generally
smaller and brighter in color than individuals living in the south. It is possible that
these populations belong to separate subspecies, but this is not recognized.
4. Koala's main food is eucalyptus leaves.
The only thing the Koala eats is the leaves of the eucalyptus tree (eucalyptus). But
in this leaf contains poison. Only koalas can digest this leaf because they have an
organ called 'cecum' in their body, which helps them digest this leaf without any
problems.
For Koala babies, due to their immature digestive system, they will not eat
eucalyptus leaves from birth, but will stay in the mother's koala bag until they are 6
months old.
5. According to The Guardian, koala populations have dropped by at least 50%
since 2001 due to deforestation, bushfires and car crashes in Australia. Since 2012,
this bear has been listed as vulnerable. Even so, in 2020, at least 6,400 koalas have
died in Australia's bushfires. They have also declared the koala to be "functionally
extinct" ("Functional extinction" also means that the species is losing its ability to
reproduce due to too few individuals). Experts predict that if the current situation
continues until 2050, koalas may become extinct in this country.
