The koala is one of Australia’s most famous icons. Here are ten facts about the koala
![Koala | Photo Credit: AAT Kings](https://www.swaindestinations.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/669-6917RM-1024x682.jpg)
1. Koalas sleep a lot One myth is that koalas sleep so much because they get high from eating eucalyptus leaves. This is untrue but they do sleep up to 20 hours a day.
![Sleepy Koala | Photo Credit: Swain Destinations](https://www.swaindestinations.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/902810_10152755655050118_1332375191_o-1024x659.jpg)
2. Koalas eat a lot For most of their four hours awake koalas eat. In fact they consume a huge amount of leaves each day, about two and a half pounds and even store extra in their pouch for later.
![Koala at Healesville Sanctuary | Photo Credit: AAT Kings](https://www.swaindestinations.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/22_Koala_Healesville-Wildlife-1024x674.jpg)
3. Koalas have sharp claws Koalas have very sharp claws that keep them in a tree effortlessly but can also give anyone who disturbs them a deep gouge.
![Koala at the Koala Conservation Centre | Photo Credit: Phillip Island Nature Parks](https://www.swaindestinations.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/Koala-Conservation-Centre-koala-1024x682.jpg)
4. Koalas are waterproof Koala fur is waterproof and protects them from both high and low temperature extremes.
![Mature female koala Zelda in the You Yangs. Taken by Mark Helle | Photo Credit: Echidna Walkabout](https://www.swaindestinations.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/Mature-female-koala-Zelda-in-the-You-Yangs.-Taken-by-Mark-Helle-friend-and-photographer-1024x696.jpg)
5. Koalas have no real predators The koala has no real predators apart from pet dogs and cats. Aborigines sometimes hunted koalas for food but it appears it was probably only when other meat was hard to find.
![Koala in a tree at Phillip Island Nature Parks | Photo Credit: Phillip Island Nature Parks](https://www.swaindestinations.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/Koala-in-Tree-1024x680.jpg)
6. Koalas are not bears Koalas are marsupials like kangaroos. Like all marsupials they give birth to a tiny fetus, which crawls in to the mother’s pouch and grows for a further six months. When the infant (a koala joey) emerges from the pouch, it rides on its mother’s back or clings to her belly for another six months.
![Koala and Baby | Photo Credit: Phillip Island Nature Parks](https://www.swaindestinations.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/Koala-and-Baby-.jpg)
7. Koalas have fingerprints Besides humans and monkeys, koalas are the only other mammals to have fingerprints. They also have opposable digits like humans, which is said to be one of our evolutionary advantages because we hold tools.
![Koala | Photo Credit: Tourism and Events Queensland](https://www.swaindestinations.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/013193-634-1024x686.jpg)
8. Koalas can be big Koalas look like a small fur ball when high up in a eucalyptus tree but stretched out they can be quite large. An adult male can be 2.6 feet tall and weigh about 30 pounds.
![Koala at WILD LIFE Sydney | Photo Credit: Merlin Entertainments Group](https://www.swaindestinations.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/Koala_Charlie_TMARSHALL_MAY_2011-1024x718.jpg)
9. Koala’s are not endangered Koala populations in Victoria and South Australia appear to be abundant. The biggest threat is property development encroaching on bush land. In suburban areas, vehicles kill many koalas as they try to cross the road at night.
![Billabong Sanctuary | Photo Credit: Tourism and Events Queensland](https://www.swaindestinations.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/034193-634-1013x1024.jpg)
10. There have been several famous koalas The koala began to appear in children’s literature in 1899, featuring in Ethel Pedley’s book Dot and the Kangaroo but the most famous fictional koala was Blinky Bill created by Dorothy Wall in 1933. Starting in the late 1960’s, a series of television ads for Australia’s national airline featured a live koala that complained that Australia had too many tourists and blamed Qantas.The series is ranked among the greatest commercials of all time.
![The biggest koala in the southern hemisphere | Photo Credit: Tourism and Events Queensland](https://www.swaindestinations.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/hot_air_koala_balloon_fli_crw_5413-1024x682.jpg)
Pictures are just beautiful, and got to know some interesting facts about the cute icon of Australia, Koalas. Great work done.
My grandson and I enjoyed and learned quite a bit about them.
He loved the baby.