Among the many different marsupials in the world, there is one that stands out and is recognized, not only for its looks, but also for the hardships that it deals with in being a koala. The koala originated in Australia, and was discovered by trappers around the time of 1798. Many rare and exotic animals have been found in Australia, because of its remoteness and isolation from most of the civilized world. Australia has been described as a huge ark, a giant lifeboat, cut off from contact with the rest of the world and carrying with it a group of unique creatures (Serventy 1975). The creatures that inhabit Australia are made up of many different classifications of animal groups that have found themselves all living together on one continent.The koala is a very unique looking animal, which has a very interesting face and color structure. It has a very large nose, with small eyes, and very ears. The fur of the koala is dense and wooly; it has gray on the upper part and lighter colored below it. The koalas living in the southern regions of Australia, which tend to be colder, are larger and have a shaggier coat then those in the north. The arms of the koala have three fingers on each hand that are separated from the other two, which make it easy for the koala to grasp on to branches. On the koalas feet there are only two out of the five toes on each foot that are made for climbing. The other toes are used for grasping and combing the hair of the animal. Both the arms and legs of the koala are very powerful.The koala is a nocturnal animal, which begins its feeding process in the late afternoon, when it awakes from its daily sleep. It ventures high up in the treetops to begin feeding on the leaves of gum trees located in the jungles of Australia. It uses its strong feet for climbing up the steep gum trees, and its heavy body, weighing more than thirty pounds, to support it in the tree branches while eating. When eating up in the...
