Do you think koalas are cute? It’s not even a question. With fluffy hair, fluffy ears and a weird nose, they look no less than a stuffed toy that wants to cuddle. These sewn sewn up heads are some of the cutest wild animals known for their slow speed and of course their amazing body adaptations. These little furry animals are also filled with interesting and strange facts. Here is a list of 7 facts about koalas.
They’re clumsy on earth
Koalas have sharp claws and rough pads, their arms and legs are specially designed to grab onto branches and climb trees very easily. But on earth it is not so easy. The design of their arms and legs makes it difficult for them to walk and sometimes fall when doing so. Koalas only come to the ground when they need to change the tree they are sitting on.
Koalas have fingerprints
Koalas are among the very few animals that have fingerprints. Isn’t this a nightmare for an investigator? Scientists believe that koalas’ fingerprints are a recent evolution of their bodies, since most of their close relatives do not have them. Koalas have fingerprints that are so similar to human ones that even analysis under a microscope cannot easily distinguish them. They are definitely cute criminals.
The secret of furs
During the mating season, male koalas attract females by making high and low wired sounds called furs. Bellows usually reach a frequency of 27 Hz, which is a very low sound for this small animal. This is the kind of resin we would expect to find in elephants rather than small koalas. Theories claim that koalas create bellows using special organs in the throat that no other mammal has evolved.
A firm grip even when they sleep
Koala paws are specially designed to grab and climb trees. They are even better than monkeys. Their bodies are lean, with long, muscular fore and hind limbs. The unique structure of the paws allows this animal to hold onto trees tightly. Even when they are asleep, they cannot be simply lifted. Their grip is very strong during sleep. So that they do not fall and be easily caught by predators.
Koalas eat toxic food
Most animals stay away from eucalyptus trees due to their toxicity, but koalas depend entirely on eucalyptus trees for food. Their digestive system is adapted in such a way that they can digest them without any problem. In fact, eucalyptus is their favorite food and they eat over 2 pounds of leaves in one day. I wonder where all this toxin is going?
All they do is sleep
Koalas sleep up to 22 hours a day. Yes! It’s almost a whole day. The reason is their low nutrition and sluggish metabolism, they must conserve their energy. This is also the reason for their very low speed and movement. However, at night they slowly move from one tree to another in search of food.
Koalas have an inverted bag
Koalas have pouches like kangaroos, but they are inverted. The reason is that they are close relatives of wombats. Baby koalas are born immature and develop in these sacs. The inverted pouches help babies consume a substance secreted by their mother, which helps them build a strong digestive system to eat toxic leaves.
Also note: tardigrades can eat their own mouth!