1. The koala is one of the best known Australian
animals. The word 'koala' comes from an
Australian Aboriginal word meaning 'no drink'.

2. Appearance
 Koalas have soft, thick, grey or brown fur on their
backs. The fur on the stomach is white.
 Koalas have large, hairless noses and round ears.
Koalas don't have tails.
 Koalas have strong, sharp claws and long toes to
help them climb.

3. Diet
 Koalas eat the leaves and young shoots of some
kinds of eucalyptus trees.

4. Family
 Sometimes people call them 'koala bears' but the
koala is not a bear. It belongs to a special group of
Australian mammals, called marsupials.
 Marsupials are mammals. Female marsupials have a
pouch where the baby animal lives after it is born.

5. HABITAT
 The koala is found in four states:
Queensland, New South
Wales, Victoria and South Australia.
 Koalas live in tall open eucalypt (gum
tree) forests. They can only live in
bushland where their favourite trees
are growing.

6. LIFE CYCLE