Koala Bears - Pictures

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Koala Bears - Behavior

Koalas prefer to spend most of their time in trees. Eucalyptus trees serve both as food and home for Koala Bears. The species is amazingly slow and non-energetic. The Koala will spend only a few minutes a day on moving and stretching. Most of time is spent on sleeping and digesting leaves. Koalas spend 16-20 hours a day sleeping. This is a good means of conserving energy. The species is mostly nocturnal. Feeding and mating occurs mainly at night. Usually, a Koala uses one tree a day for feeding. Then it moves to another tree. When on the ground, the movements of the species are a little awkward. Koalas are threatened on the ground by dingo dogs and other predators. Many Koalas live less than 10 years in the wild. Trees are no safer for these defenseless animals. Koalas suffer from owls, eagles, and pythons. Many young are killed when sitting on the mother's back. Koalas are also in danger because of ever developing traffic. As for range fights between the species, they never occur. Although the ranges of Koalas may overlap, they rarely share one tree. Koala ranges are well established and an adult Koala takes a few trees, periodically changing among them.

Koala Bears - Communication Means

Since the habitat of the species has been reduced greatly, Koalas live in scarce patches of eucalyptus woodlands that may be located far away from each other. To communicate, Koalas employ vocalization. To avoid fights, and thus save energy, Koala males use a wide variety of sound that indicate their dominance. Male Koalas usually produce deep grunting bellow. Females also use these sounds to express aggressiveness, although not so often as the males. Soft clicking is usually employed as a means of communication between a mother and its offspring. When in danger or under stress, Koalas produce loud cries similar to those of a baby, which is often accompanied by shaking.

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