Koalas Essay Research Paper It used to

Koalas Essay, Research Paper

It used to take thousands of years before a species became extinct due to natural changes in the environment. Now, more than ever before many species of animals are on their way to becoming extinct. This is called an endangered species. An endangered species is a species that is exposed to danger, harm or loss threatening to diminish their overall population. It is important that we pay close attention to the cause of endangering a species. Once a species becomes extinct, they are truly a thing of the past. A good example of this is dinosaurs. No one really knows what caused them to totally be wiped off this planet. But we do know that dinosaurs are probably one of the most interesting forms of life ever to roam the world.

The koala is Australian.s favorite animal. It is a native species of Australia, it is also one of the most endangered. During the last century, the koala has suffered from the destruction of its natural living space. The interest of hunters, and the outbreak of several diseases. And all this despite its wonderful appearance and the affection shown to the many admirers out there.

The koala is often know as the Australian .teddy bear,. but it is not a bear at all. It is a marsupial, a mammal that carries it.s young in a pouch. It is also an ancient animal. Fossils of koalas similar to those today have been found in rocks over 15 million years old. .Koala. is an Aboriginal word. At a campsite, a container of water is passed from one person to another and if anyone is not thirsty they say .Koala,. meaning .no drink.. The koala got its name because it does not appear to drink; it gets the moisture it needs from the leave it eats.

There were once millions of koalas in eastern Australia, but now there are thought to be only about 400,000 left. Although the overall population is not threatened with extinction, local isolated populations, such as those in parts of Southern Australia, have disappeared. The distribution of koalas today is very scattered. Koalas were once found throughout Australia, but changes in climate and vegetation have led to a decline in numbers. In Central Australia forests gave way to desert and so the koalas were confined to the west and east coasts between desert and sea. Then, the settlers arrived. First the Aborigines came, and they wiped out all the koalas in the Southwest of Australia. Two hundreds years ago, the Europeans arrived on the eastern coast and they began to poach. The Europeans killed many animals including the koala and its land the forests that it lives in. With them came several epidemics that caused the koalas to die.

Koalas live in a long, narrow strip of eastern Australia, near the coast of the Pacific Ocean. This area includes several different climates, and there are some differences among the koalas that make their homes there. For example, in the cool southern state of Victoria, koalas are larger and have darker, thicker fur than their relatives in the warmer north.

An average adult male koala in Victoria measures about 2 . feet in length and weighs as much as 30 pounds. In the north, a Queensland male koala may be only 2 feet tall and weigh around 15 pounds. In all areas, females are smaller than males.

Koalas make their homes in the forests of eucalyptus, or eucalypt, tees that grow in eastern Australia. They spend almost their entire lives up among the branches of the trees. They survive on the natural flora of this particular area. The eucalyptus provides food, shelter, and almost everything else the marsupials need to survive. They are very .fussy. about the kinds of eucalyptus leaves they will eat. There are over 600 different types of eucalyptus trees growing in all parts of Australia, but koalas only eat the leaves of 35 kinds that grow in Australia. Some koalas eat only one or two types of leaves. If they can.t find the leaves, they will simply not eat. Since the trees are getting cut down for farmland more food is being taken away from the koala.

Koalas are not very social animals. They do not live together in groups or families. A young koala stays with its mother for about a year and then goes off on its own. But even while living alone in the eucalyptus forests, koalas have ways of keeping in touch. Scientists who study koalas have found that each adult in a particular region has a home range. This special area contains enough eucalyptus trees to supply the koala with food and shelter. The animal usually stays in its home range for most of its life, moving from tree to tree in search of fresh leaves.

A koala marks the trees around the boundary of its home range to let other koalas know where this special place is. It scratches the tree trunks with its sharp claws. A male koala has another way of marking trees n the borders of his territory. He rubs them with a smelly liquid produced by a scent gland in the middle of his chest. Usually one male will have a larger home range than neighboring koalas. He is the dominant ale in the area, his borders overlap the home ranges of several females. When mating season comes along he will most likely mate with these females.

During the breading season, which peaks on November on the north, December in the south, male koalas can become very aggressive and noisy. They bellow constantly and fight with other males for the right to mate. Each dominant male has ov