Re: Req: Koala

llizard <cq5...@freent.toronto.on.ca> wrote:

>(Glory Moon) wrote:

>> my attempt at tiny koalas:
 
>>       "@"
>> gpyy  (_3
 
>>       "@"
>> gpyy  E_)
 
>> hmmm, not so good. what kind of trees do koalas usually cling to? 

1) They are good

2) Eucalypts.

>Those little koalas are wonderful. Well done.

Agreed.

>I believe it's eucalyptus trees that koalas prefer.

Actually, it is not so much a preference as a necessity:

*** Everything you Didn't Want to Know About Koalas, ***
              and Were Afraid to Ask 

There are about 700 species of eucalypt in Australia, and 2 which are
native to the Phillipines. Eucalypts gained dominance here due to the
aboriginals' use of fire over millenia. Eucalypts are generally quite
inflamable, and promote fire to give tbem the edge on competing
species.

Eucalyptus oil, besides being flmmable and a good solvent, is quite
poisonous. It tastes so bad and is sufficiently poisonous that the
tree is generally well protected from insects, and the only mammal to
eat the leaves is the Koala. Koalas are able to process eucalyptus
leaves due to bacteria in the gut. these bacteria are handed on from
generation to generation through the babies' eating the mothers'
faeces.

While Koalas are able to process the leaves, they have adapted and
evolved so as to prevent them from becoming poisoned by Eucalypts.
They must regularly change the species of Eucalypt which they are
currently eating. I think that they can only stick with the one
species for about 3 days, but I am not sure of that figure. I am sure
that the number of species they eat is about 5.

But changing species is not enough in itself, and Koalas rely on
energy minimisation to lessen the need for food. That is why they look
so cute and cuddly when they sleep for 18 hours a day.

Alas, they have another ploy. Koalas are not the brightest animals in
the world. Their brain is not very large, as that would require more
energy, and hence more food.

Ian

(Remove the anti-spam "xx" from the e-mail address if you wish to write to me)

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