Common name: Koala

Size: length up to 80cm, weight up to 14kg

Life Span: up to 10 years for a male, up to 14 years for a female

Current Status: not endangered

Habitat: eucalypt forests

Fast facts:

• eats eucalypt leaves
• koalas check the smell of leaves before eating them
• koalas digestive system enable them to eat potentially toxic leaves
• eucalypt leaves provide little energy
• eucalypt leaves contain up to 50 per cent water
• koalas rarely drink
• spends up to 19 hours a day sleeping
• young become independent after 12 months
• young spend the first 9 months of life in their mother's pouch
• thick fur ensures the koala stays dry during rain storms
• their hands have two thumbs