Where Do Koalas Live?

Koalas are marsupials, meaning females have a pouch to carry their offspring. However, koalas are the only living members of their family, so they don’t have any extremely close relatives. Their closest relatives are wombats! Other examples of marsupials are kangaroos, possums, and Tasmanian devils.

Koalas are well-known for their gray, fluffy fur and large, rounded ears. They are medium-sized marsupials, though males are much larger than females and can weigh up to 30 lbs!

Unlike their wombat cousin, koalas are arboreal, and they have lots of adaptations that make life in the trees a breeze. They have sharp, curved claws that grip into tree bark. While they have 5 fingers, two of them work like thumbs. These pincher-like hands are great for grabbing onto branches. They have strong muscles in their arms and legs to help lift themselves high into tree branches.

Koalas must be skilled climbers because they find their food high up in the trees, especially Eucalyptus trees. Leaves from many species of trees make up a koala’s diet. Because they only feed on a few different types of food, we call them specialist feeders. I like to think of specialists as picky eaters, whereas generalists are not picky. Generalists will eat just about anything they can find.

Eucalyptus is toxic to many other animals, so koalas don't have much competition for food. Koalas have a special enzyme that breaks down these toxins.

Their food is very low in nutrients, which is part of the reason koalas are so slow and sleepy. They can sleep upwards of 20 hours per day.

Aside from a mother and her offspring, koalas are solitary, meaning they like to live alone. Offspring may stay with their mom for well over a year. Older koalas have territories that they mark with scent glands on their chest. Young koalas may travel between territories in search of food and a territory of their own.

Like all marsupials, female koalas have a pouch on their abdomen where they carry their offspring. Their gestation is typically only about 30 days, so when koalas are first born, they are small and undeveloped. This is the case for most marsupials! They crawl across their mother’s fur to the safety of her pouch where they feed on milk and continue to grow. 

Offspring stay in their mom’s pouch for up to 7 months before they are big enough and fuzzy enough to leave. When they outgrow the pouch, they ride around on their mom’s back! Eventually, they go off on their own to find a territory and start their life.