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Tag 53 - 12.10.2013 Philip Island.
Der Koala, auch Aschgrauer Beutelbär genannt, ist ein baumbewohnender Beutelsäuger in Australien. Er wurde von dem Zoologen Georg August Goldfuß im Jahre 1817 beschrieben. Der Koala ist neben dem Känguru das am weitesten verbreitete Symbol Australiens. Der Koala wird 61 bis 85 cm groß und wiegt zwischen 4 und 14 kg. Körpergröße und Proportionen eines erwachsenen Tieres hängen von Alter, Geschlecht, Ernährung und Region ab. Im kühleren Klima lebende Koalas sind im Allgemeinen größer und haben ein dunkleres und dichteres Fell als das von Tieren in wärmeren Regionen. Trotz dieser Anpassungen gibt es auch Ausnahmen. Im fruchtbaren Victoria können ausgewachsene Koalamännchen bis zu 14 kg, Weibchen bis 11 kg wiegen. Das Durchschnittsgewicht der nördlich lebenden Tiere ist niedriger: Männchen erreichen 12 kg, Weibchen 8 kg. Die Koalas im niederschlagsarmen Queensland sind generell kleiner, das Durchschnittsgewicht der Männchen beträgt 8 kg, das der Weibchen 6 kg.

The koala, or, inaccurately, koala bear) 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 60–85 cm (24–33 in) and weighs 4–15 kg (9–33 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. Quelle: Wikipedia