Cute Like A Bear Lost in the Bush
An animal unique to these areas
Another day I see Jerry up a tree. This time a wrong one. I don’t understand why he decided to go up a Narrow-leaved ash (Fraxinus angustifolia). I know it’s already blooming in the dawn of spring, but it does not make sense to climb up if you can’t munch on its leaves. Jerry is picky, and he loves certain Eucalyptus leaves. I must say that Jerry isn’t a common animal found anywhere else in the world. He is a koala, most known as a tree bear, unique to the Australian bush.
Every time I come across a koala, I get stunned by it. It is almost every day living here in Adelaide, South Australia, that we see koalas in the hills. They are not native to this region but occupy areas in large numbers, especially before the bushfires of 2019–20. Since then, the koala population has decreased severely, growing the demand for volunteer koala rescue groups to protect them.
The word koala comes from the Dharug peoples, a land covered from Camden to Katoomba and southwest of the Sydney region, meaning ‘no water’. It is now clear why these tree bears rely on gum leaves. Meanwhile, koalas are called dumbirrbi in South East Queensland by the Jagera language, marrambi in the Yugarabul language, borobi in the Ugambeh language, and dumbribbi in the Turnnbul language.
Koalas are very diversified among indigenous groups, sharing a common history in ancient Australia. Australian Aboriginals hunted marsupial for fur, as depicted in cave art and myths. Not just a historical and meaningful animal, but koalas are also used as a symbol of Australia alongside the kangaroo. I can only find two reasons for this: distinctive appearance and limited geographic range.
Although a koala seems an unproductive and end-of-the-line generation in the evolutionary tree, it belongs to a dedicated family called Phascolarctidae. Its solitary genus, Phascolarcto, meaning bear with a pouch, is followed by species cinereus, meaning ashy-grey (Phascolarcto cinereus). Alone in the circle of life, koalas share similarities with wombats, and their closest relatives, including a backwards-facing pouch.
If you wonder where koalas live, you may find them over a range of open forest and woodland communities, though a group of food trees selects their habitat. That said, you cannot avoid spotting one or two near city parks, residential backyards, vegetation islands on highways, etc. They populate most trees that offer a good variety of succulent gum leaves, which I don’t find tasty.
According to fossil records, koalas inhabited parts of Western Australia and the Northern Territory many years ago. Humans hadn’t arrived in Australia yet, attracting other types of animals as koala predators, such as large carnivores. Marsupial lions, giant goanna, and giant pythons were often in the queue hunting for the furry and stocky features you may find on koalas.
Observing Jerry climbing up and down on a sunny day demonstrates how agile he can be when in a hurry. Distinguished by their large head with fluffy ears, spoon-shaped noses, and tailless bodies, koalas are arboreal animals. They have strong arms, powerful legs and sharp claws suitable for climbing trees. They do transit between trees on the ground, which one way or another could compromise their safety. You can quickly notice peculiar scratches in the bark, showing signs that a koala has been up there. These scratches remain visible until the bark is shed each year, allowing you to gauge how often koalas use that particular tree.
Another question among naturalists is how a koala adds to the environment. Disputes that koalas aren’t contributors and only consumers are most likely false. It is hard to imagine what they do to the environment if we don’t observe them for a more extended period.
We understand that they consume around five hundred grams of leaves each day (approximately the size of small lettuce) and obtain most of their water from the same (up to 50%). It removes the need for a koala to climb down a tree for a drink, except during hot and dry periods. You often see people allocating water bowls near the tree base.
Apart from their nutritional aspects, koalas are asocial animals but can be found in a large population. We cannot deny their impact on the canopy density and light reaching the forest floor. Though, koalas consume excess vegetation, reducing the biomass that fuels intense and frequent fires. “During the rainy season, koala droppings act as nutrients for the regeneration of undergrowth, ensuring that the forests regenerate to sustain future life. These excrements also serve as food for insects and small rodents”.
Adding to the latter, koalas break branches and drop leaves while feeding, making them available to ground insects. Most called koala forests, they aid in combating climate change by absorbing carbon dioxide and converting it into organic carbon. As long as trees do not burn or decompose, carbon gets trapped in them, avoiding to release into the atmosphere. I don’t know if you know, but the koala forest is one of the most efficient in producing clean oxygen and storing carbon.
A simple animal, limited in its movements and cute for obsessive petting, koalas suffer from climate change and diseases. Although they have tiny predators and parasites, their most significant threats are pathogens and environmental issues, including retrovirus, Chlamydia, droughts, and wildfires. Newborns depend on their mom to pass the essential bacteria for them to survive and aid in the digestion of gum leaves. Without it, they may not survive for generations to come.
It might sound silly caring for koalas if they can sort themselves out. But it is obvious how humans are affecting their lives indirectly. I am not here to point out the damage humans cause to the environment and how this affects biodiversity. I may leave it up to you to decide what is best for us. You can see what a unique animal can do for our planet on a small scale. Why not contribute, recognise their value, and pass this honest info to the next generation? Isn’t that hard, is it?
Thanks for reading!
