I'm Not a Bear! Koalas are often called bears because they look a little like teddy bears, but they are actually marsupials. Like other marsupials, the female has a pouch where she carries her baby, called a joey, for several months after birthThe beginning of an animal's life.. When a joey is strong enough to cling to its mother's back, it leaves the pouch but still sticks its head in to nurse. Koalas are known as picky eaters. There are hundreds of different types of eucalyptus, but koalas only eat a few dozen kinds. And koalas won’t eat every leaf off of each branch. In fact, at the San Diego Zoo, we offer each koala 25 pounds of fresh eucalyptus each day, and each only eats about 1.5 pounds of it.
http://kids.sandiegozoo.org/animals/mammals/koala
Koalas also have special adaptations that enable them to feast on eucalyptus leaves. Very fussy eaters, they use their excellent sense of smell to select the best tasting leaves. Although there are 600 types of eucalyptus trees, koalas generally limit their diet to two or three favorite kinds.
http://www.animalfactguide.com/animal-facts/koala/
The baby koala, or joey, won’t fall out of the pouch because the mother koala uses a strong sphincter muscle to keep the pouch closed. Koalas have special physical characteristics that complement their tree-dwelling lifestyle.
http://www.animalfactguide.com/animal-facts/koala/
While koalas are typically docile herbivores (and notably, not bears), drop bears are described as unusually large and vicious marsupials that inhabit treetops and attack unsuspecting people (or other prey) that walk beneath them by dropping onto their heads from above.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drop_bear
Artistic depiction of a drop bear. A drop bear (sometimes dropbear) is a hoax in contemporary Australian folklore featuring a predatory, carnivorous version of the koala (Phascolarctos cinereus). This imaginary animal is commonly spoken about in tall tales designed to scare tourists.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drop_bear
- Koalas are not bears. They are not placental or 'eutherian' mammals, but MARSUPIALS, which means that their young are born immature & they develop further in the safety of a pouch. It’s incorrect to call them ‘Koala bears' - their correct name is simply 'Koalas'.
https://www.savethekoala.com/about-koalas/interesting-facts
The Koala is the only member of the Phascolarctidae family. The Koala’s scientific name Phascolarctos cinereus means ‘ash-coloured pouched bear’. Some people refer to the Koala as a Koala Bear. Although it looks like a small bear, the Koala is a marsupial mammal. Female marsupials have pouches to carry their babies. Other marsupials include kangaroos, wallabies, wombats, possums, and opossums. The Koala’s closest relative is the wombat.
http://www.planetozkids.com/oban/animals/facts-koala.htm
The koala is a well-known and popular animal, endemic to Australia but recognised around the world. It is a tree-dwelling marsupial with large furry ears, a prominent black nose, long sharp claws adapted for climbing and no tail. Fur colour varies from pale grey in north Australia to grey-brown in the south.
http://www.environment.nsw.gov.au/animals/TheKoala.htm
Despite being called 'koala bears' for many years, koalas are actually marsupials. While bears give birth to well-developed young, newborn koalas are tiny enough to fit on your thumbnail, and are raised in their mother's pouch. The closest relative of the koala is the wombat - both animals have pouches which open towards the rear. This is fine for the wombat, but koalas need strong muscles ringing the pouch to keep their young from falling out.
http://www.environment.nsw.gov.au/animals/TheKoala.htm
When early European settlers first encountered koalas in Australia, they thought the tree-climbing animals were bears or monkeys. Even today people still incorrectly refer to koalas as “koala bears.” But koalas are actually marsupials, closer related to wombats and kangaroos. As marsupials, female koalas have pouches where their young stay until fully developed. Unlike kangaroo pouches, which open towards the top, koala pouches are located towards the bottom of their bodies and open outward.
http://www.animalfactguide.com/animal-facts/koala/
what is koala bear
The koala bear is a well-known and popular animal, endemic to Australia but recognized around the world. The koala bear is a well-known and popular animal, endemic to Australia but recognised around the world.