Koala Kids’ Corner

Koala Kids' CornerHey there kids (and parents, teachers of course), thanks for dropping by the Kids’ Corner. This is where you can find heaps of downloadable koala-related activities (colouring-in sheets, find-a-word puzzles, etc.).

If you have a school project about koalas that you’d like to include on this site just send it in an email to manager@friendsofthekoala.org.

Koala Flats

See if you can find some of our wildlife, including koalas. Click here and download to see how many you can find.

To colour-in Koala Flats click here and download

 

Find-a-Word

Find-a-Word #1

Find-a-Word #2

30 facts about koalas

download all FOK Fact images in one ZIP file [13MB]

Did you know that koalas are tree huggers? They hug trees to keep cool during the warmer months.Koalas are fussy eaters. They will sniff each leaf to determine which is the tastiest.Koalas are NOT BEARS. They are MARSUPIALS.Did you know that koalas sleep for 18 to 20 hours a day?Koalas have two thumbs, so no wonder they’re awesome tree climbers.Koalas do NOT get drunk or high on eucalyptus leaves. Their diet is simply low in nutrients thus they’re very tired and sleep for long periods.Koalas have favourite foods that vary from Region to Region. In the Northern Rivers this includes Forest Red Gum, Swamp Mahogany and Tallowwood.Just like people, koalas have individual finger prints and personalities.Baby koalas are called joeys.After a 35 day gestation period a joey is born. Bald, blind and deaf it crawls into the pouch and attaches to a teat where it stays for the first 6 months of its life.When we tag koalas a female is tagged in the right ear and a male is tagged in the left ear.A koala’s closest relative is the wombat.Koalas are distributed along the Eastern seaboard of Australia. Their distribution is limited by temperature, altitude (>800 m above sea level), aridity, and leaf moisture content.Adult koalas consume 250-500g of leaf per day.Koalas are hindgut fermenters. They have the longest (relative to body size) caecum in the world. They have a unique balance of instestinal bacteria (primarily anaerobic), as well as specialised yeast protzoa.A joey the size of a rockmelon or smaller should still be with its mother.Male koalas have a broad head and nose, short, stocky ears, a scent gland in the middle of their chests, external testes, and can grow up to 10 kg in Northern NSW. Of course there are always exceptions to the rules.Female koalas have a narrower, more refined face and nose, fluffy ears, a pouch, potentially a joey, and grow up to 6kg in Northern NSW, but of course there are exceptions to the rules.Cystitis or ‘wet bottom’ is a symptom of Chlamydia, which is an STD and the most common reason a koala comes into care. If caught early, cystitis can be treated with a course of antibiotics.Conjunctivitis is a symptom of Chlamydia which is an STD and the most common reason a koala comes into care. It is treatable with antibiotics.Koalas don’t have knee caps.Koalas are aged by the wear on their teeth.The koala’s scientific name is Phascolarctos cinereus, which means ashy or ash-coloured pouch bear, although in fact they are not bears they are marsupials.In NSW koalas are listed as vulnerable under the Threatened Species Conservation Act 1995.Koalas might look cuddly but they are wild animals with very sharp teeth and claws.The fur on a koala’s bottom is extra thick to provide a ‘cushion’ for sitting on hard perches and has a ‘dappled’ appearance making koalas difficult to see from the ground.Koalas live in colonies; however, they are not social animals.As koalas do not usually drink they get most of their moisture from the leaves they eat.Historically, koala populations have declined due to habitat fragmentation and hunting for their fur until 1927, from which they haven’t recovered. Current threats to koala populations are ongoing habitat loss, urban risks dogs and cars and diseases such as chlamydia and retrovirus.At birth a joey is equivalent to a foetus in development. At 6 months a joey is equivalent to a newborn.