10 фактов о коале на английском

Fact 1. Many scientists tried to attribute the koala to the bear family. In fact, the koala's closest relative among animals is the wombat - another unusual Australian animal.

Fact 2. About 25 million years ago, the ancestor of the koala Koalemus lived on Earth - an animal resembling a koala outwardly, but 25-30 times larger than its size.

Fact 3. Koals practically do not drink water. The fact is that all the moisture necessary for their life is contained in eucalyptus, which is the main food of the koala. If there is heat and drought, then the koala needs extra water.

Fact 4. An adult koala weighs about 10 kilograms, and its height varies between 60-80 centimeters. At the same time, the southern koala is always the largest of its northern brother, and the males weigh 1.5 times more than the females.

Fact 5. A koala can stay under the sun for a long time, since the fur on its body can protect against ultraviolet radiation. Also the koala is not afraid of rain - the thick hair of the animal does not let moisture through.

Fact 6. The average life expectancy of a koala in a zoo is about 13-18 years. How long the koala lives in the wild is not yet known to scientists.

Fact 7. Koala fingerprints are very similar to human fingerprints. Koalas are one of the rare animals with a papillary pattern on the fingers.

Fact 8. Koalas are distinguished by poor eyesight, while having an excellent sense of smell and a developed ear.

Fact 9. The metabolic rate in koalas is about 2 times lower than in other animals. The speed of koalas can equal the sloths. At the same time, if danger comes, then the first and second can act quickly and efficiently.

Fact 10. The main food of the koala - eucalyptus leaves - has a very low energy value. Koala is stationary 15-20 hours a day. On the day of koala eats about 0.5-1 kg of eucalyptus.

Koalas are gray and white, sometimes brown.

Koalas feed only on bark and eucalyptus leaves. There are more than 800 species of trees in the world, but these animals eat only the bark and leaves of 120 of them. Interestingly, for most animals, these trees are poisonous.

Koala is a herbivorous marsupial animal, akin to wombats. For a long time, people mistakenly took koalas for bears, for example, the British called these animals "koala bear" (this expression is still preserved outside Australia), "monkey bear" or "tree bear." This erroneous representation is reflected in the scientific name of the genus koalas Phascolarctos

Koalas live in the Eastern and Southern parts of Australia (highlighted in red on the map), as well as on Kangaroo Island (brought there by humans, purple on the map). Previously, koalas also inhabited Western Australia, but were completely exterminated there.

There is an erroneous version of the origin of the word "koala", according to which it can be translated as "does not drink." The very fact, however, is obvious: koalas really rarely drink water (only during a drought or disease), since the necessary amount of fluid is contained in their food - eucalyptus leaves.

About 24-34 million years ago, the distant ancestor of the modern koalas Koalemus, who was 28 times larger than the present individuals, was in good health on Earth!

Growth of adult koalas - 60-85 cm. Weight - from 4 to 13 kg. Weight and height fluctuate depending on the place of residence: the southern koala physically surpasses its northeastern relatives. Males weigh 50% more females

Thick koal fur pushes water away when it rains, and wool on the belly saves the animal from direct sunlight.

The large sharp claws of the koala help her to climb trees successfully. The animal has two thumbs set aside, which help it to seize branches and tree trunks into a strong lock that does not open even during sleep. Sometimes a koala can hang on a branch holding on to it with only one paw.

Interestingly, koalas are one of the few mammals besides monkeys and humans that have a so-called papillary pattern on their fingertips. Thus, koala and human fingerprints are very difficult to distinguish, even with a powerful electron microscope.