Check out Australia Zoo’s Koala!

Get ready for a cuteness overload here at Australia Zoo! Check out our Koala’s LIVE! show everyday or, head to our very own Koala Walk-through, where you might be lucky enough to spot them high above in the treetops.

Although these sleepy animals will nap for up to 20 hours each day, they are far from boring.  Did you know that koalas are not bears?  Although their scientific name translates to them being a “grey pouched bear”, they are in fact a marsupial!  This means they have a pouch and give birth to underdeveloped young.

A baby koala is called a joey.  When born, a koala joey looks like a tiny jellybean!  They are born blind, hairless, adorable and weighing in at approximately 2 grams (0.07 ounces).  Joeys will spend 6 to 7 months inside mum’s pouch, suckling on milk.

At this age, koala joeys must prepare their stomach so they can wean from drinking mum’s milk and start eating eucalyptus leaf: their main diet.  To do this, the joey needs to eat mum’s poo! It’s called pap and is jam-packed with good bacteria, ensuring the joey can enjoy a buffet of eucalyptus for years to come.  Koalas can be found down the east coast of Australia, plus a small section of South Australia.  They live in tall eucalypt forests and eat up to 500 grams of leaf every day.

Sadly, our Aussie icon is experiencing a rapid population decline.  Millions of koalas once roamed our land, but today, there is estimated to be fewer than 80,000 left in the wild.  They are threatened by habitat destruction, car strikes, dog attacks, disease and drought.  They are considered an endangered species and are truly in need of our support.  Let’s keep these true-blue Aussies around for years to come!