Koalas, also known as koalas, are Australia's national treasures and rare primitive arboreal animals.
The English name of koala bear comes from ancient aboriginal characters, which means "don't drink".
Because koalas get 90% of the water they need from eucalyptus leaves, they only drink water when they are sick and dry. The locals call it "Kwale", which means "no water".
[ 1]
Koalas are not Xiong Ke animals, they are far apart.
Xiong Ke belongs to Carnivora, while koalas belong to marsupials.
It sleeps 18 hours every day, with a gentle temperament and a simple and honest posture.
Chinese name:
Koalas
Nickname:
Koalas, koalas, koalas, koalas and sloths.
Double name method:
small brown rice planthopper
Boundary:
animal kingdom
Door:
Chordata
Yamen:
Vertebrate subfamily
Outline:
mammal
Subclass:
Post-lactation inferior class
Purpose:
marsupialia
Part:
Koalas
Category:
Koalas
Distribution area:
Distributed in eucalyptus forest areas along the southeast coast of Australia.
Protection level:
be safe from danger
catalogue
Appearance characteristics
distribution range
Living habits
Growth and reproduction
growing environment
Susceptible to illness
Demographic situation
Protection level
evolutionary process
launch
Appearance characteristics
distribution range
Living habits
Growth and reproduction
growing environment
Susceptible to illness
Demographic situation
Protection level
evolutionary process
launch
Edit the shape characteristics of this paragraph.
Koalas are simple and honest, and look like bears. It has thick and soft short grayish brown hair, and the fur on the chest, abdomen, inner limbs and inner ear is grayish white. It has big furry ears and a flat nose.
Its tail has degenerated into a "cushion" after a long period of use, and the fur on its buttocks is thick and dense, so koalas can sleep comfortably on a tree fork for a long time.
Koalas have stout limbs, long and curved claws and sharp claws. Its five toes are arranged in two rows, one row is two and the other row is three. Koalas are good at climbing trees. They spend most of their time in tall trees and can't even sleep.
The data of koala size in the north: the male's head length is 70 cm and his weight is 6.5kg；; The female head is 68 cm long and weighs 5. 1 kg.
The somatotype data of southern koala: the male head length is 78 cm and the weight is12 kg; The female head is 72 cm long and weighs 8.5 kg.
Koalas are about 70-80 cm long. Adult male koalas generally weigh between 8- 14 kg, and female koalas weigh between 6- 1 1 kg.
Gentle, simple and honest, looks like a bear, with a pair of big ears, furry ears, a flat nose and no tail. This is because after a long time, its tail degenerates into a "cushion" and the fur on its ass is thick and dense, so it can sit comfortably and smartly on a tree for a long time, but this does not affect its excellent sense of balance.
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Koala bear mother and son
Koalas are muscular, slender and strong, suitable for climbing among branches and supporting their own weight.
The front legs are almost as long as the legs, and the climbing strength mainly comes from the developed thigh muscles.
Koalas have long, sharp and curved claws, which are especially suitable for grasping and climbing.
Rough palm pads and toe pads can help Kao hold the branches tightly, and all limbs have sharp long claws.
The forefoot has five fingers, two of which are opposite to the other three fingers, just like human thumb, so it can be held with other fingers, which makes koalas hold objects more safely and confidently.
On the sole of the foot, all toes except the big toe have sharp claws, and the second toe is connected with the third toe.
Koala's teeth are very suitable for handling these special foods.
Sharp long incisors are responsible for clamping eucalyptus leaves from trees, and molars are responsible for cutting and grinding.
The gap between the front teeth and molars enables koala's tongue to effectively mix food balls in its mouth.
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Thick fur helps to keep the temperature constant, and it can also be worn as a raincoat when it rains to avoid the intrusion of moisture and rain.
The koala's fur presents a variety of colors, such as light gray to brown, with white patches on the chest, neck, limbs and inner ear.
Adult male koalas have a particularly striking brown aromatic gland in the center of their white chest.
Koalas distributed in the south are heavier and thicker because they need to adapt to the colder climate.
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Koalas (5)
Koalas generally belong to Nocturnal Animals. They are active at night and dusk, because it can save more water and energy consumption than when the temperature is high during the day.
Koalas spend an average of 18 ~ 22 hours a day sleeping and resting, leaving only 4 hours for eating, activities, personal hygiene and communication with other koalas.
In the past, because koalas slept almost all day, people thought koalas were poisoned by eating eucalyptus leaves.
Koalas, which are sleepy almost all day, are actually an effective low metabolism adaptation mechanism formed in their long-term evolution to adapt to low-nutrient foods and save energy consumption.
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Koalas have a well-developed nose, which can easily distinguish different kinds of eucalyptus leaves and find out which are edible and which are poisonous but inedible.
It can also smell the warning signs left by other koalas.
Koalas make various sounds to communicate with other koalas. Male koalas mainly show their dominance and desire by roaring, so as to avoid consuming energy in the battle and show their position to other animals.
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Edit the distribution scope of this paragraph
Koalas are unique marsupials in Australia, distributed in the northeast of the Great Divide.
Edit the living habits of this paragraph.
Koalas feed on eucalyptus leaves and branches and almost never drink underground water. This is because koalas get enough water from eucalyptus leaves, so they seldom drink water, so the locals call it "Kwale", which means "no water".
Koalas live in eucalyptus trees for most of their lives, but occasionally they fall to the ground because of changing trees in their habitats or swallowing gravel that helps digestion. Their livers are very strange and can separate toxic substances from eucalyptus leaves.
Eucalyptus leaves are their only food.
It is precisely because the koala's main food, eucalyptus leaves, contains toxic substances, so koalas need to sleep for a long time to digest toxic substances, and they need to sleep 17 ~ 20 hours a day.
Koalas communicate with each other by humming and purring, and they also send signals through their sense of smell.
During the day, koalas usually curl up and perch on eucalyptus trees. At night, they go out and climb up and down the branches, looking for eucalyptus leaves to satisfy their hunger.
Although it eats a lot, it is very picky about food.
Among more than 600 kinds of eucalyptus, only 12 kinds are eaten.
It especially likes to eat the leaves of Eucalyptus roseus, Eucalyptus manna and Eucalyptus maculata.
An adult koala can eat about 1 kg of eucalyptus leaves every day.
Eucalyptus leaf juice is aromatic, containing cineole and anisoterpene. So koalas always give off a fragrance of eucalyptus leaves.
Koalas (16)
Koalas are gentle and slow-moving and never pose a threat to other animals.
Koalas are slow, and the reflex arc of this animal seems to be particularly long.
Someone once tried to pinch the koala with his hand, and it took a long time for the koala to scream.
[ 1]
Eucalyptus leaves are their only food.
Koalas have a special organ for digesting fibers-the intestine.
Millions of microbes in the intestine break down the fiber in food into nutrients that koalas can absorb.
Nevertheless, only 25% of the food eaten by koalas is digested and absorbed.
Koala's metabolism is very slow, which ensures that food can stay in koala's digestive system for a long time and digest and absorb nutrients in food to the greatest extent.
This low and slow metabolic activity also allows koalas to conserve energy and physical strength to the greatest extent.
So koalas have to sleep for a long time to digest toxic substances.
Different kinds of eucalyptus are distributed in different parts of Australia, so koalas living in Victoria and Queensland may eat completely different kinds of eucalyptus leaves, so koalas sometimes try to eat other plants, such as acacia leaves, tea or Melaleuca plants.
If koalas are used to eating eucalyptus in a certain place and are not interested in other eucalyptus trees, koalas are very picky about food.
[ 1]
Koalas
Koalas can tell at a glance whether a tree is their own or that of other koalas.
Koalas leave their own spherical droppings at the bottom of trees.
Even one year after the death of a koala, other koalas will not move into this empty home, because during this time, the smell traces and claws left by koalas have not naturally weathered away.
When the young koala is sexually mature, it must leave its mother's home and find its own field.
Its goal is to find and join another breeding population.
Finding other koalas is more important than finding a habitable habitat. The range of koala family activities depends on the quality of its uncultivated habitat, and one of the important criteria is the density of key tree species eaten by koalas.
There are always some male koalas temporarily wandering outside the stable population, often staying on the edge of the breeding population, waiting to join them and become permanent residents.
Whether it is day or night, koalas will naturally assume different sitting and sleeping positions in the safe family tree, and at the same time, they will constantly move their positions on the tree because of avoiding the sun or enjoying the breeze.
In hot weather, koalas spread their limbs and sway slightly to keep cool, while in cold weather, they huddle up to keep warm.
[3]
Koalas can swim, but only occasionally.
Edit the section on growth and reproduction.
The breeding season of koalas is from August to February. Female koalas usually start breeding at the age of 3-4, and usually only breed one cub a year.
The newborn koala has big furry ears, a flat nose and no tail.
At 22-30 weeks, the female koala will excrete a semi-liquid soft food from the intestine for the young koala to eat.
This kind of food is very important, not only soft, koala is easy to eat, but also nutritious, containing more water and microorganisms, easy to digest and absorb.
This kind of food will accompany koalas through the important transition period from breast milk to eating eucalyptus leaves until koalas can eat eucalyptus leaves completely, just like human babies will eat porridge semi-liquid food for a while before eating solid food.
Koalas will live in the pouch until about 1 year old. This koala will continue to live with the female koala until the next baby koala is born.
At this time, the little koala had to leave her mother and find her own field.
If the mother koala doesn't breed every year, then the baby koala will live with her mother for a longer time, so the baby koala has a better chance of surviving.
In Australia, the breeding season of koalas is from August to February. During this period, male koalas will be more active, making louder roars than usual and with higher frequency.
The same is true of the little koala leaving its mother and starting to live independently.
The pregnant period of koalas is 35 days. Usually, each fetus has only one cub. The newborn koala is less than one inch and weighs only 5.0 ~ 5.5g ..
Female koalas usually start breeding at the age of 3-4, and usually only breed one cub a year.
However, not all wild female koalas breed every year.
The newborn koala has big furry ears, a flat nose and no tail.
This kind of food koala is easy to eat, rich in nutrition, contains more water and microorganisms, and is easy to digest and absorb.
During the important transition period from breast milk to eucalyptus leaves, koalas will eat this food until they can eat eucalyptus leaves completely.
When eating, koalas will lean out from the mouth of the breast-feeding bag, and when eating semi-liquid soft food discharged from the cecum by female koalas, they will stretch the mouth of the bag backwards.
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In the process of feeding semi-liquid food, koalas will gradually climb out of the pouch until they are completely lying in the abdomen of the female koala for feeding. After 6 months, it will start eating fresh eucalyptus leaves and climb on the back of the female koala to live.
Koalas feed on breast milk in the pouch until about 1 year old.
However, the koala is getting bigger and bigger, so it can't put its head in the pouch. Therefore, the female koala's nipples will stretch and protrude from the open pouch. Little koalas are timid, and even cry and scream when they are frightened. Their voices sound like newborn babies.
Little koalas hug their mothers' bellies to keep warm and hide, but sometimes they ride on their mothers' backs.
This koala will live with the mother koala until the next baby koala is born.
If the female koala doesn't breed every year, the little koala and its mother will live longer and have a greater chance of survival.
12 months later, koala left her mother to create her own home and find her own territory.
Sexually mature from 3 to 4 years old, with an average age of 10 ~ 15 years old.
[4]
Koala cartoon image (5 photos)
Generally speaking, female koalas live longer than male koalas, because male koalas are often injured in the battle for spouses, and they need to move longer distances to take risks and occupy more barren soil and eucalyptus forests, because they need to maintain larger fields.
It makes the average age data of koalas misleading, because some koalas can only live for a few weeks or months, while others can live for a lifetime.
Koalas living in a quiet environment will live longer than koalas living in the suburbs of cities.
Some people estimate that the average life span of adult male koalas is 10 years old, but the average life span of some sub-adult koalas scattered on the edge of highways or residential areas is only 2 ~ 3 years old.
[4]
Due to the sharp decline of koala population, genetic diversity has been lost in history, and giant koalas dating back to the late Pleistocene have become extinct. In this way, koala breeding has some inbreeding.
Edit the growing environment of this part.
Koala (20)
Koalas inhabit islands on the east coast of Australia, tall eucalyptus forests and inland lowland forests.
However, millions of years ago, the koala's ancestors lived in the tropical rain forest, and the koala gradually withdrew from its original habitat due to long-term evolution.
Wild koalas will only appear in places suitable for their lives, and there are two important factors. One is that koalas must have tree species (including non-eucalyptus species) that they prefer to eat, and have suitable soil and rainfall to ensure their growth. The other is that other koalas have settled here.
Koalas have several natural enemies in their lives, one of which is the dingo. When koalas slowly walk from tree to tree, both adult koalas and young koalas may be hurt by Australian dogs. Koalas are sometimes influenced by wedge-shaped tails.
Attacks by eagles and owls; Others like wild cats, dogs and foxes are also natural enemies of koalas.
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Affected by human roads and traffic, koala habitats are decreasing, and habitat destruction is the biggest threat to koala survival.
If koalas live in remote areas or near major roads, they are likely to encounter car accidents and dog attacks.
The Australian Koala Foundation estimates that at least 4,000 koalas die in car accidents and are attacked by dogs every year.
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Edit this passage, which is prone to diseases
Koalas are susceptible to several different diseases. Two common diseases are conjunctivitis and dampness, which are diseases of kidney and urinary system. Others include respiratory infections, skull diseases and parasites.
It can be found that koalas are more likely to get sick when they live in crowded places or places with insufficient food supply.
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Edit the population status of this section.
The appearance of koalas
As human beings expand their homes step by step, the habitat and living environment of koalas are gradually shrinking, so that some koalas have entered the scope of human life, which is not a good thing for them. Koalas are often bitten by pet dogs and electrocuted by cables.
Therefore, many caring local residents in Australia began to adopt injured koalas and then sent them to koala homes to recuperate.
Because koalas are picky eaters, eucalyptus is not protected by law, and humans continue to occupy koala habitats, resulting in a sharp decline in the number. Coupled with global warming, climate change, forest fires and other factors, the number of koalas plummeted.
In 2006, the Australian Scientific Committee on Endangered Species refused to protect koalas as endangered species. It was estimated that there were millions of koalas at that time.
However, koala breeding depends largely on the quality of habitat environment, lacking self-protection awareness and prone to illness, and fur trade leads to a large number of koalas being hunted.
The number of wild koalas is still decreasing.
The latest calculation shows that the number of wild koalas is only 43,000.
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The exact number of koalas is unknown. Experts estimate that the number of koalas in Australia may be between 43,000 and 300,000.
What is certain, however, is that this number is slowly declining due to frequent road traffic accidents.
Being hit or crushed by a vehicle has become the second leading cause of koala death.
Australia has repeatedly controlled the number of koalas [8]
In 2004, Australia planned to slaughter 20,000 koalas to protect the local ecological environment.
Finally, it was not implemented.
In 2005, the number of koalas was out of control, and Australia invested a huge sum of money to sterilize more than 8,000 koalas on Kangaroo Island.
In 2006
In order to control the continuous growth of koala population in Australia, scientists have specially developed effective miniature contraceptive devices for koalas. Six koalas "immigrated" to Chinese mainland, settled in Xiangjiang Wildlife World, and successfully propagated.
In 2007
Although koalas are protected by law in Australia, eucalyptus is not.
With the acceleration of urbanization, a large number of eucalyptus trees have been cut down, and these koalas that feed on eucalyptus leaves may become extinct in the next 15 years.
With the increase of greenhouse gases in 2008, koalas are facing a crisis of no food.
In 2009, "AIDS" threatened koalas in Australia, and the number dropped by more than half in six years.
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20 10 1 June, a koala mother and son were shot dead in Australia.
According to relevant laws, the abuse of koalas is a felony, and the perpetrators can be sentenced to two years' imprisonment or fined 300,000 Australian dollars, or about 280,000 US dollars.
) 165438+ 10 In October, a koala mother and son in Australia were shot by air guns, and the koala mother died on the spot. The little koala was hit by a 15 bullet, fell from the tree and was in critical condition.
20 1 1 year
Koalas in Queensland Koala Conservation Park were forced to move due to the fierce floods in Australia.
On September 22nd, Australian parliamentarians suggested that more underground tunnels should be built for koalas and stricter speed limits should be set to protect koalas on expressways.
[8]
Edit the protection level of this paragraph.
1930, the atrocities of publicly hunting koalas forced * * * to declare koalas as protected animals in various States.
However, apart from the relevant laws enacted in New South Wales, there is no law to protect the eucalyptus forest on which koalas depend for survival and concealment.
[4]
20 12 On April 30th, Australian Environment Minister Tony Burke announced that koalas living in eastern New South Wales, Queensland and the Capital Territory would be listed as endangered protected animals.
[9]
Edit this evolutionary process
In Australia's indigenous language, koala means "don't drink water". In different versions of colonial materials, koalas were recorded in several different formats, such as cullewine；; Koolewongcolo Kolach; Koolah koala; Koala; Cabor; Boorabee and
Goriborne, wait.
When new colonists entered the Australian mainland, deforestation and reclamation began, and Australian native animals began to lose their habitat.
1924, koalas in southern Australia were extinct, koalas in New South Wales were also close to extinction, and koalas in Victoria were estimated to be less than 500.
As a result, the focus of koala fur trading began to shift northward to Queensland.
19 19, Australia * * * announced a six-month hunting ban, during which one million koalas were hunted.
Although the special season of koala hunting was officially cancelled in 1927, when the ban was cancelled again, more than 800,000 koalas were hunted in just 1 month.
[2]
45 million years ago, when the Australian continent separated from the Antarctic plate and gradually drifted northward, koalas or koala-like animals first began to evolve.
Fossils prove that koala-like animals existed on the Australian mainland 25 million years ago.
In the process of drifting, the climate began to change dramatically, the Australian continent became drier and drier, and plants such as eucalyptus and rubber trees began to change and evolve, and koalas began to rely on these plants. In the 1940s, koalas were once considered extinct.
It is generally believed that aborigines came to the Australian mainland 60,000 years ago or even earlier.
Like other Australian animals, koalas have become an important part of many myths and legends in indigenous cultures and civilizations.
Koalas have been an important food source for indigenous people for thousands of years, but this does not hinder their prosperity.
1788, after Europeans landed on the Australian mainland for the first time, John
Price became the first European to record koalas.
He is entering the blue zone near Sydney.
Dashan described koalas in detail.
18 16 years, koalas first got the scientific name "phascolarctos".
"Grey wombat" means "grey wombat".
Later, it was found that koalas were not bears at all, so a member of a mammalian research group called koalas "marsupials" (meaning "marsupials"), that is, animals whose newborn babies were not fully developed and needed to continue to develop in a nursing bag.
Most marsupials such as koalas are found in Australia and Papua New Guinea.
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