Home >> Science & Nature >> Animals & Science

Where Do Koala Bears Live?

Although referred to as koala "bears," koalas are actually not bears at all, but marsupials, meaning they have a pouch in which they carry their young. The infant koala lives in his mother's pouch for six months. Koalas are not the most dynamic members of the animal kingdom. Their primary activities are sleeping in trees and eating eucalyptus leaves.

Geography
- Koalas are found in only one part of the world, a stretch of forestland along eastern and southeastern Australia. These marsupials are found near the coast, from as far south as the region surrounding Melbourne to northern Queensland, where the weather is hotter due to the proximity to the equator. Australia is a dry country, with average rainfall totaling around 2 inches each month. Koalas don't drink much water and get most of their fluids from the succulent eucalyptus leaves that comprise their diet.
Enivironment
- Koalas eat eucalyptus leaves, and only eucalyptus leaves. Because so much of their day is spent eating the leaves, and because they are slow-moving and vulnerable to predators, koalas make their home in the eucalyptus tree, and that's where they spend most of their time. When they're not eating the leaves --- up to two and a half pounds a day --- they are generally sleeping, an activity they engage in as much as 18 hours a day. They are generally only on the ground to move from tree to tree.
Koalas in Captivity
- Zoos around the world have koala on display for curious seekers of wildlife. Koalas have been in residence at zoos in San Diego, Palm Beach, Cleveland, Edinburg, Los Angeles and other cities, and of course throughout Australia. Zoos from around the world have "borrowed" koalas from the San Diego Zoo. The San Diego Zoo has the largest program for breeding koalas outside Australia. The San Diego Zoo has had koalas in residence since 1925.
Are Koalas Endangered?
- Although koalas were widely hunted in the 1920s and 1930s, this isn't the case today. The koalas aren't the target of many animal predators either --- sometimes they will be attacked by the occasional dog. The main danger to their continued existence is the shrinking Australian woodlands. This is a problem, since koalas require a lot of eucalyptus and a lot of space --- approximately 100 trees per one koala to survive. Koalas are not currently on the endangered species list, but their populations have been variously categorized as "rare" and "threatened."

Animals & Science