Koala

Koala
Conservation status
Vulnerable  (IUCN 3.1)[1][2][3][4]
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Mammalia
Infraclass:	Marsupialia
Order:	Diprotodontia
Suborder:	Vombatiformes
Family:	Phascolarctidae
Genus:	Phascolarctos
Binomial name
Phascolarctos cinereus (Goldfuss, 1817)

Koala (Phascolarctos cinereus) is a plant-eating marsupial. They live in the eucalyptus forests of eastern Australia.^[5] They are the only living species in the family Phascolarctidae.^[6] They are related to the wombats.

Koalas are often called koala bears, because a koala looks like a small bear or teddy bear. However, it is not a bear, it is quite a different type of animal.^[5][7] Koalas sleep 20 hours a day due to their low-energy diet, the toxic eucalyptus leaves.^[8][9]

1. ↑ "Advocates hail koala 'vulnerable' status". News.brisbanetimes.com.au. 29 April 2012. Retrieved 2 May 2012.^{[permanent dead link]}
2. ↑ "Advocates hail koala vulnerable status". Sydney Morning Herald. 29 April 2012. Retrieved 2 May 2012.
3. ↑ "Koalas added to threatened species list". ABC News. Australia: ABC. 30 April 2012. Retrieved 2 May 2012.
4. ↑ "Koalas to be listed as threatened amid rapid decline". Thecourier.com.au. 27 April 2012. Retrieved 2 May 2012.^{[permanent dead link]}
5. ↑ ^{5.0 5.1} "Koala". National Geographic. 11 April 2010. Retrieved 2011-04-16.
6. ↑ Groves, Colin; Wilson D.E. & Reeder D M. (eds) 2005. ed. Mammal species of the world. 3rd ed, Johns Hopkins University Press, pp. 43. ISBN 0-801-88221-4
7. ↑ "Koala (Phasclarctas Cinereus)". AustralianFauna.com. Archived from the original on 2011-12-31. Retrieved 2011-04-16.
8. ↑ Grand, T. I.; Barboza, P. S. (2001). "Anatomy and development of the koala, Phascolarctos cinereus: An evolutionary perspective on the superfamily Vombatoidea". Anatomy and Embryology. 203 (3): 211–223. doi:10.1007/s004290000153. PMID 11303907. S2CID 11662113.
9. ↑ "Koala facts". Environment | Department of Environment, Science and Innovation, Queensland. 2011-05-11. Retrieved 2024-09-10.