Koalas are sometimes called koala bears, leading some people to mistake them for cousins of our familiar grizzlies and polar bears, but in fact these cute eucalyptus chewers from down under are marsupials, not closely related to bears at all. Their informal name may come from their adorable resemblance to a teddy bear that you just want to cuddle and love! As we’ve suggested, a koala’s favorite food is the leaves of the eucalyptus tree, a common species in their natural habitat. These adorable baby animals start life lazy, like many baby animals – resting frequently to help their bodies grow. However, unlike other animal species these cute babies never grow up into very productive adults. They remain famous layabouts, on par with sloths who are more notable for being lazy. They do have there excuses apparently – their diet of leaves is low in protein and hard to digest and they have a very slow rate of metabolism. Koalas sleep up to 22 hours per day, and in those remaining two hours? Well, koalas spend that time being the cutest little critters in Oz! However much anyone might like to own one for a pet they cannot legal do so, it is illegal in Australia and worldwide. There are not a lot of individuals in the wild with estimates in the range of 100,000. They were hunted for their fur in the early 1900s and nowadays its tough for them to find the right habitat where they can live happy lives and reproduce. Let’s hope for their recovery.
