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For other uses, see Koala (disambiguation).

Koala
Temporal range: 0.70 Ma

Pre

Pg

Middle Pleistocene Recent

 Conservation status

Vulnerable (IUCN 3.1)[1]

Scientific classification

Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Chordata

Class: Mammalia

Infraclass: Marsupialia

Order: Diprotodontia

Family: Phascolarctidae

Genus: Phascolarctos

Species: P. cinereus

Binomial name

Phascolarctos cinereus
(Goldfuss, 1817)
 Koala range (red native, purple
introduced)

Synonyms[2][3]

Lipurus cinereus Goldfuss, 1817

Marodactylus cinereus Goldfuss, 1820
Phascolarctos fuscus Desmarest, 1820
Phascolarctos flindersii Lesson, 1827
Phascolarctos koala J.E. Gray, 1827
Koala subiens Burnett, 1830

The koala (Phascolarctos cinereus, or, inaccurately, koala bear[a]) is an arboreal

herbivorous marsupial native to Australia. It is the only extant representative of the family
Phascolarctidae and its closest living relatives are the wombats. The koala is found in
coastal areas of the mainland's eastern and southern regions, inhabiting Queensland, New
South Wales, Victoria, and South Australia. It is easily recognisable by its stout, tailless
body and large head with round, fluffy ears and large, spoon-shaped nose. The koala has a
body length of 6085 cm (2433 in) and weighs 415 kg (933 lb). Pelage colour ranges
from silver grey to chocolate brown. Koalas from the northern populations are typically
smaller and lighter in colour than their counterparts further south. These populations
possibly are separate subspecies, but this is disputed.

Koalas typically inhabit open eucalypt woodlands, and the leaves of these trees make up
most of their diet. Because this eucalypt diet has limited nutritional and caloric content,
koalas are largely sedentary and sleep up to 20 hours a day. They are asocial animals, and
bonding exists only between mothers and dependent offspring. Adult males communicate
with loud bellows that intimidate rivals and attract mates. Males mark their presence with
secretions from scent glands located on their chests. Being marsupials, koalas give birth to
underdeveloped young that crawl into their mothers' pouches, where they stay for the first
six to seven months of their lives. These young koalas, known as joeys, are fully weaned
around a year old. Koalas have few natural predators and parasites, but are threatened by
various pathogens, such as Chlamydiaceae bacteria and the koala retrovirus, as well as by
bushfires and droughts.

Koalas were hunted by indigenous Australians and depicted in myths and cave art for
millennia. The first recorded encounter between a European and a koala was in 1798, and
an image of the animal was published in 1810 by naturalist George Perry. Botanist Robert
Brown wrote the first detailed scientific description of the koala in 1814, although his work
remained unpublished for 180 years. Popular artist John Gould illustrated and described the
koala, introducing the species to the general British public. Further details about the
animal's biology were revealed in the 19th century by several English scientists. Because of
its distinctive appearance, the koala is recognised worldwide as a symbol of Australia.
Koalas are listed as Vulnerable by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.[1]
The Australian government similarly lists specific populations in Queensland and New
South Wales as Vulnerable.[4] The animal was hunted heavily in the early 20th century for
its fur, and large-scale cullings in Queensland resulted in a public outcry that initiated a
movement to protect the species. Sanctuaries were established, and translocation efforts
moved to new regions koalas whose habitat had become fragmented or reduced. The
biggest threat to their existence is habitat destruction caused by agriculture and
urbanisation.

Contents
[hide]

1 Etymology
2 Taxonomy and evolution
o 2.1 Genetics and variations
3 Description
4 Ecology and behaviour
o 4.1 Foraging and activities
o 4.2 Social spacing
o 4.3 Reproduction and development
o 4.4 Health and mortality
5 Human relations
o 5.1 History
o 5.2 Cultural significance
o 5.3 Conservation issues
6 See also
7 Notes
8 References
o 8.1 Bibliography
9 External links

Etymology
The word koala comes from the Dharug gula. Although the vowel 'u' was originally written
in the English orthography as "oo" (in spellings such as coola or koolah), it was changed to
"oa", possibly in error.[5] Because of the koala's supposed resemblance to a bear, it was
often miscalled the koala bear, particularly by early settlers.[6] The generic name,
Phascolarctos, is derived from the Greek words phaskolos "pouch" and arktos "bear". The
specific name, cinereus, is Latin for "ash coloured".[7]

Taxonomy and evolution

Peramelidae

Dasyuridae

Dromiciops
Diprotodontia "possums"
Petauroidea

Phalangeroidea

H. moschatus

Potoroinae

Macropodinae

Vombatiformes
P. cinereus

T. carnifex

Ngapakaldia
Diprotodontidae
D. optatum

Z. trilobus

N. lavarackorum

M. williamsi

I. illumidens

Vombatidae
Phylogeny of Diprotodontia, (with outgroup)[8]

The koala was given its generic name Phascolarctos in 1816 by French zoologist Henri
Marie Ducrotay de Blainville,[9] who would not give it a specific name until further review.
In 1819, German zoologist Georg August Goldfuss gave it the binomial Lipurus cinereus.
Because Phascolarctos was published first, according to the International Code of
Zoological Nomenclature, it has priority as the official name of the genus.[10] French
naturalist Anselme Gatan Desmarest proposed the name Phascolartos fuscus in 1820,
suggesting that the brown-coloured versions were a different species than the grey ones.
Other names suggested by European authors included Marodactylus cinereus by Goldfuss
in 1820, P. flindersii by Ren Primevre Lesson in 1827, and P. koala by John Edward
Gray in 1827.[2]

The koala is classified with wombats (family Vombatidae) and several extinct families
(including marsupial tapirs, marsupial lions and giant wombats) in the suborder
Vombatiformes within the order Diprotodontia.[11] The Vombatiformes are a sister group to
a clade that includes macropods (kangaroos and wallabies) and possums.[12] The ancestors
of vombatiforms were likely arboreal,[8] and the koala's lineage was possibly the first to
branch off around 40 million years ago during the Eocene.[13]

Reconstructions of the ancient koalas Nimiokoala (larger), and Litokoala (smaller), from
the Miocene Riversleigh Fauna

The modern koala is the only extant member of Phascolarctidae, a family that once
included several genera and species. During the Oligocene and Miocene, koalas lived in
rainforests and had less specialised diets.[14] Some species, such as the Riversleigh rainforest
koala (Nimiokoala greystanesi) and some species of Perikoala, were around the same size
as the modern koala, while others, such as species of Litokoala, were one-half to two-thirds
its size.[15] Like the modern species, prehistoric koalas had well developed ear structures
which suggests that long-distance vocalising and sedentism developed early.[14] During the
Miocene, the Australian continent began drying out, leading to the decline of rainforests
and the spread of open Eucalyptus woodlands. The genus Phascolarctos split from
Litokoala in the late Miocene[14][16] and had several adaptations that allowed it to live on a
specialised eucalyptus diet: a shifting of the palate towards the front of the skull; larger
molars and premolars; smaller pterygoid fossa;[14] and a larger gap between the molar and
the incisor teeth.[17]

During the Pliocene and Pleistocene, when Australia experienced changes in climate and
vegetation, koala species grew larger.[15] P. cinereus may have emerged as a dwarf form of
the giant koala (P. stirtoni). The reduction in the size of large mammals has been seen as a
common phenomenon worldwide during the late Pleistocene, and several Australian
mammals, such as the agile wallaby, are traditionally believed to have resulted from this
dwarfing. A 2008 study questions this hypothesis, noting that P. cinereus and P. stirtoni
were sympatric during the middle to late Pleistocene, and possibly as early as the
Pliocene.[18] The fossil record of the modern koala extends back at least to the middle
Pleistocene.[19]

Genetics and variations

Traditionally, three distinct subspecies have been recognised: the Queensland koala (P. c.
adustus, Thomas 1923), the New South Wales koala (P. c. cinereus, Goldfuss 1817), and
the Victorian koala (P. c. victor, Troughton 1935). These forms are distinguished by pelage
colour and thickness, body size, and skull shape. The Queensland koala is the smallest of
the three, with shorter, silver fur and a shorter skull. The Victorian koala is the largest, with
shaggier, brown fur and a wider skull.[20][21] The boundaries of these variations are based on
state borders, and their status as subspecies is disputed. A 1999 genetic study suggests that
the variations represent differentiated populations with limited gene flow between them,
and that the three subspecies comprise a single evolutionarily significant unit.[21] Other
studies have found that koala populations have high levels of inbreeding and low genetic
variation.[22][23] Such low genetic diversity may have been a characteristic of koala
populations since the late Pleistocene.[24] Rivers and roads have been shown to limit gene
flow and contribute to the genetic differentiation of southeast Queensland populations.[25] In
April 2013, scientists from the Australian Museum and Queensland University of
Technology announced they had fully sequenced the koala genome.[26]

Description
 Play media
Scratching and grooming

The koala is a stocky animal with a large head and vestigial or non-existent tail.[27][28] It has a
body length of 6085 cm (2433 in) and a weight of 415 kg (933 lb),[28] making it among
the largest arboreal marsupials.[29] Koalas from Victoria are twice as heavy as those from
Queensland.[20] The species is sexually dimorphic, with males 50% larger than females.
Males are further distinguished from females by their more curved noses[29] and the
presence of chest glands, which are visible as hairless patches.[30] As in most marsupials, the
male koala has a bifurcated penis,[31] and the female has two lateral vaginas and two
separate uteri.[27] The male's penile sheath contains naturally occurring bacteria that play an
important role in fertilisation.[32] The female's pouch opening is tightened by a sphincter that
keeps the young from falling out.[33]

The pelage of the koala is thicker and longer on the back, and shorter on the belly. The ears
have thick fur on both the inside and outside.[29] The back fur colour varies from light grey
to chocolate brown.[27] The belly fur is whitish; on the rump it is dappled whitish, and darker
at the back.[28] The koala has the most effective insulating back fur of any marsupial and is
highly resilient to wind and rain, while the belly fur can reflect solar radiation.[34] The
koala's curved, sharp claws are well adapted for climbing trees. The large forepaws have
two opposable digits (the first and second, which are opposable to the other three) that
allow them to grasp small branches. On the hindpaws, the second and third digits are fused,
a typical condition for members of the Diprotodontia, and the attached claws (which are
still separate) are used for grooming.[35] As in humans and other primates, koalas have
friction ridges on their paws.[36] The animal has a sturdy skeleton and a short, muscular
upper body with proportionately long upper limbs that contribute to its climbing and
grasping abilities. Additional climbing strength is achieved with thigh muscles that attach
to the shinbone lower than other animals.[37] The koala has a cartilaginous pad at the end of
the spine that may make it more comfortable when it perches in the fork of a tree.[33]
Mounted skeleton

The koala has one of the smallest brains in proportion to body weight of any mammal,[38]
being 60% smaller than that of a typical diprotodont, weighing only 19.2 g (0.68 oz).[39] The
brain's surface is fairly smooth, typical for a "primitive" animal.[40] It occupies only 61% of
the cranial cavity[38] and is pressed against the inside surface by cerebrospinal fluid. The
function of this relatively large amount of fluid is not known, although one possibility is
that it acts as a shock absorber, cushioning the brain if the animal falls from a tree.[40] The
koala's small brain size may be an adaptation to the energy restrictions imposed by its diet,
which is insufficient to sustain a larger brain.[38] Because of its small brain, the koala has a
limited ability to perform complex, unfamiliar behaviours. For example, when presented
with plucked leaves on a flat surface, the animal cannot adapt to the change in its normal
feeding routine and will not eat the leaves.[41] The koala's olfactory senses are normal, and it
is known to sniff the oils of individual branchlets to assess their edibility.[38] Its nose is fairly
large and covered in leathery skin. Its round ears provide it with good hearing,[33] and it has
a well-developed middle ear.[14] A koala's vision is not well developed,[33] and its relatively
small eyes are unusual among marsupials in that the pupils have vertical slits.[29] Koalas
make use of a novel vocal organ to produce low-pitched sounds (see social spacing, below).
Unlike typical mammalian vocal cords, which are folds in the larynx, these organs are
placed in the velum (soft palate) and are called velar vocal cords.[42]

Teeth of a koala, from left to right: molars, premolars (dark), diastema, canines, incisors

The koala has several adaptations for its eucalypt diet, which is of low nutritive value, of
high toxicity, and high in dietary fibre.[43] The animal's dentition consists of the incisors and
cheek teeth (a single premolar and four molars on each jaw), which are separated by a large
gap (a characteristic feature of herbivorous mammals). The incisors are used for grasping
leaves, which are then passed to the premolars to be snipped at the petiole before being
passed to the highly cusped molars, where they are shredded into small pieces.[44] Koalas
may also store food in their cheek pouches before it is ready to be chewed.[45] The partially
worn molars of middle-aged koalas are optimal for breaking the leaves into small particles,
resulting in more efficient stomach digestion and nutrient absorption in the small
intestine,[46] which digests the eucalyptus leaves to provide most of the animal's energy.[44] A
koala sometimes regurgitates the food into the mouth to be chewed a second time.[47]

Unlike kangaroos and eucalyptus-eating possums, koalas are hindgut fermenters, and their
digestive retention can last for up to 100 hours in the wild, or up to 200 hours in
captivity.[44] This is made possible by the extraordinary length of their caecum200 cm
(80 in) long and 10 cm (4 in) in diameterthe largest proportionally of any animal.[48]
Koalas can select which food particles to retain for longer fermentation and which to pass
through. Large particles typically pass through more quickly, as they would take more time
to digest.[44] While the hindgut is proportionally larger in the koala than in other herbivores,
only 10% of the animal's energy is obtained from fermentation. Since the koala gains a low
amount of energy from its diet, its metabolic rate is half that of a typical mammal,[43]
although this can vary between seasons and sexes.[44] The koala conserves water by passing
relatively dry faecal pellets high in undigested fibre, and by storing water in the caecum.[46]