Koala

The koala (Phascolarctos cinereus) or inaccurately, koala bear is an arboreal herbivorous marsupial native to the eastern states of Australia. It is the only extant representative of the family Phascolarctidae, and its closest living relatives are the wombats.

Characteristics of Koala

The koala is found in coastal areas of the mainland's eastern and southern regions, inhabiting Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia. It is easily recognisable by its stout, tailless body; round, fluffy ears; and large, spoon-shaped nose.

 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 life. These young koalas are known as joeys, and are fully weaned at around a year. Koalas have few natural predators and parasites but are threatened by various pathogens, like Chlamydiaceae bacteria and the koala retrovirus, as well as bushfires and droughts.

Kingdom: Animalia             

Phylum: Chordata

Class: Mammalia

Infraclass: Marsupialia                                              

Order: Diprotodontia

Suborder: Vombatiformes

Family: Phascolarctidae

Genus: Phascolarctos

Species: P. cinereus