Good morning everyone. In today's lecture I want to look at one of Australia's famous and most loved animals – the koala. The koala is the Australian teddy bear and is the largest member of the phalanger's family.
The koala looks like a teddy bear. It is two and a half feet long, with ears seeming as if they were stuck on, beady eyes, and no tail. Its dense, woolly fur is blue-grey in colour and was used commercially for fur until koalas were almost exterminated. They are pouched mammals, of course, not bears at all, but closely related to the phalangers.
Koalas spend almost all their lives in the eucalyptus trees, feeding on their leaves. Their toes are armed with sharp claws, and their fingers are divided into two groups, the split in the hand coming between the index and middle finger, instead of between thumb and fingers as in our hand. The great toe is thumb-like. All of these features aid in climbing. Koalas, although usually slow and deliberate in movement, are able to spring from one upright branch to another with surprising skill.
Their babies are carried in the pouch at first, then it clings to the fur of the mother's back, riding piggyback until it is almost as large as the mother. Koalas become quite tame and they are great attractions at the various Australian zoos and parks.