The Koala is a small bear-like marsupial.

It has thick ash-grey fur and koalas can be found in a range of habitats. Such as sitting in eucalyptus trees on coastal islands to hugging trees in tall eucalypt forests as well as in low woodlands. The Koala has large, sharp claws which are very useful in assisting to climb tree trunks where they usually sit and sleep most of the day.

The word Koala is an aboriginal word that means 'doesn't drink'. A Koala lives almost entirely on eucalypt leaves. Koala's spend about 16 hours a day sleeping. The remaining hours are dedicated to eating, using its very powerful jaws to chew through an average of 500 grams of eucalypt leaves a day.

In the early 20th century the Koala was hunted almost to extinction, largely due to its fur.

Today there are a healthy number of Koala's in Australia.

Koalas are an iconic part of Australia and are very popular with tourists. You should visit one at Taronga Zoo when you come to Australia for WYD08!

Image courtesy of Sleestak66 , Flickr.