more on the wildlife park series IV

mr koala welcoming us

 Hi,, hows ur weekend so far? esp for those in M'sia - having blast of your 4 days weekend? well i hope u guys are... hehe... cos we're having a fabulous chill time here.. loves it! its the perfect time to catchup on sleep &;; do all those relaxing stuff we dont get to do all week -- and of course waking up at noon is the best part too! well ok back to my Perth Revisited albums - heres the Wildlife Park Series Part IV continuation... enjoy! 

see how cute &; cuddly they are!

cant resist their cuteness factor

a picture of both of us with mr koala

here's a smoooooochy kissy pose by mr koala to hubs... hehehehe cuuuute kannn

like a cuddly bear isnt he!

they each got a partner to hug to sleep -- hehehehe

Since this posting is more about Koala-s .. here's more info about these cutie pies.

Though often called the koala "bear," this cuddly animal is not a bear at all; it is a marsupial, or pouched mammal. After giving birth, a female koala carries her baby in her pouch for about six months. When the infant emerges, it rides on its mother's back or clings to her belly, accompanying her everywhere until it is about a year old.

Koalas live in Eastern Australia, where the eucalyptus trees they love are most plentiful. In fact, they rarely leave these trees, and their sharp claws and opposable digits easily keep them aloft. During the day they doze, tucked into forks or nooks in the trees, sleeping for up to 18 hours.

When not asleep a koala feeds on eucalyptus leaves, especially at night. Koalas do not drink much water and they get most of their moisture from these leaves. Each animal eats a tremendous amount for its size—about two and a half pounds (one kilogram) of leaves a day. Koalas even store snacks of leaves in pouches in their cheeks.

A special digestive system—a long gut—allows koalas to break down the tough eucalyptus leaves and remain unharmed by their poison. Koalas eat so many of these leaves that they take on a distinctive odor from their oil, reminiscent of cough drops.

Sadly these plump, fuzzy mammals were widely hunted during the 1920s and 1930s, and their populations plunged. Helped by reintroduction, they have reappeared over much of their former range, but their populations are smaller and scattered. Koalas need a lot of space—about a hundred trees per animal—a pressing problem as Australia's woodlands continue to shrink.

Common Names : Koala, Koala bear, Native bear, Monkey bear	Scientific Name: Phascolarctos cinereus
Koalas are often called as "koala bears" - this is not correct. Koala is not a bear but a marsupial. The closest relative of koala is a wombat, which also has cute and cuddly appearance, but it's never called a "wombat bear"

Koala information

Some history of koala bear

Size: 70 - 90cm (27 - 36 inch) Weight: 4 - 9kg (9 - 20 lb) The males are larger than females. Southern koalas are 30% larger than the Northern koalas Koala's fur is thick soft and pleasant to touch. Ears have long white hairs on the tips. Koalas can live as long as 17 years, however males life expectancy is less than 10 years (due to injuries during fights, dogs and cars). Females generally live longer. Koalas living in an undisturbed habitat would have a greater life expectancy than those living in suburbia. Koalas prefer to move around just after sunset spending daytimes asleep in the fork of a tree. Koala spends sleeping 75% of its time. Just after sunset koalas move around and can often be heard "barking" aggressively at other koalas.

Fossil remains of koala-like animals have been found dating back to 25 - 40 million years ago. Koalas, like all Australian animals, are an important part of Aboriginal culture and featured in many myths and legends.  John Price was the first European who described koalas 1798. In 1816, the koala was given its scientific name, phascolarctos cinereus, meaning 'ash grey pouched bear'.  European settlers identified the koala as a source of fur to trade, and millions of koalas were shot for their pelts. By 1924 koalas were extinct in South Australia, severely depleted in New South Wales and estimates for Victoria go as low as 500 animals. Public forced governments in all states to declare the koala a 'Protected Species' by the late 1930's. Presently, up to 4,000 koalas are being killed each year by cars and dogs

Koala Habitat facts

State	Estimated population
Queensland	50'000
Victoria and South Australia	15'000
New South Wales	15'000

Koalas live in eucalypt forests of Eastern and South-Eastern Australia. Koalas habitat requirements include the presence of other koalas and preferred food trees. Koalas are found in a range of habitats, from coastal islands and tall eucalypt forests to low woodlands inland.  Their habitat quality can be measured by density of the food trees. Koalas do not live in rainforest.

Socially stable koala population occurs only when there are primary food tree species present. Koalas live in societies, so they need to be able to come into contact with other koalas and this is why they require large areas of suitable eucalypt forest which is able to support a healthy koala population.  Even after a koala has died, other koalas usually won’t move into the vacant territory for about a year, or until  the scent markings and scratches of the old owner disappear.

Koala feeding facts

Koala is the only mammal, other than the Greater Glider and Ringtail Possum, which can survive on a diet of eucalyptus leaves. Koala seldom drinks water obtaining it from the eucalyptus leaves, which are 50% consisting of water. Although, they can drink water if due to drought the leaves water content is reduced. Koalas consume eucalyptus leaves and bark from 12 different eucalyptus tree species. They also consume mistletoe and box leaves. Koala in Victoria would have different diet from koala in Queensland as different species of eucalypts grow in different parts of Australia. Sometimes koalas eat leaves from other trees such as wattle tree, tea tree, paperbark tree. Each koala eats approximately 200 to 500 grams of leaves per day.  Koalas have a slow metabolic rate due to their high-fiber, low nutrient diet. Because they store little or no fat, koalas must adopt strategies that conserve energy. Sleeping is one of them. Koalas sleep for up to 16 hours per day in order to conserve energy. A very slow metabolic rate optimizes its energy requirements and allows koalas to retain food within their digestive system for a relatively long period of time, maximizing the amount of extracted energy.

Eucalyptus foliage is very fibrous and low in nutrition, and to most animals are extremely poisonous. Koalas are not drugged out on gum leaves. Koala's digestive system is especially adapted to detoxify the poisonous chemicals in the leaves. Koalas have a very long (up to 200cm / 6.5 feet) caecum - a fiber digesting organ. It's a part of the intestine, which allows more time for bacteria to break down the otherwise indigestible eucalypti fiber. Even so, the koala is still only able to absorb 25% of fiber eaten. The young koala drinks only mother's milk for the first six to seven months. At about 30 weeks, it begins to feed upon a substance called "pap" which the mother produces in addition to milk. Pap is a specialized form of droppings, which forms an important part of the young koala's diet, allowing it to make the transition from milk to eucalyptus leaves. Pap is soft and runny. It allows the mother to pass on micro-organisms from her digestive system. The young koala continues to take milk from its mother until it is about a year old, but as it can no longer fit in the pouch, the mother's teat elongates to protrude from the pouch opening. Eventually young koala begins to feed upon fresh leaves as it rides on mother's back.

Koala breeding information

Koalas breed once a year. Mating normally occurs from September to March Gestation lasts 35 days, after which one koala is born. The baby koala, "joey", is blind, hairless, less than one inch long and weighs less than 1 gram (0.035 oz). It then crawls into its mothers pouch completely unaided, relying on its sense of smell, strong forelimbs and claws. Once inside the pouch, baby koala attaches itself to one of the two teats and stays there drinking milk for the next six months.

Females generally start breeding at about three or four years of age and usually produce only one baby koala each year. Twins have been reported, but are rare. In the average, one female may produce only 5 or 6 baby koalas over her lifetime. Young koalas remain with their mothers until the appearance outside the pouch of the next season's joey. If a female does not reproduce each year, the young koala stays with her longer and has a greater chance of survival.

stay tuned -- more pics of others cominng soon...

ohnooo its a huge rat!

a cute possum...?

here's a closeup pic

a tazzy on the walk

the resting roo

see how chillax they all are in their open space...