Koalas<br>
<br>
<br>
The koala is thought to be a wombat, but it isn’t. <br>
<br>
Did you know that a koala can be brown and not gray? <br>
<br>
A koala is nocturnal. They sleep in the day. At night they are awake.. When a koala isn’t eating, usually it is sleeping. <br>
<br>
The San Diego Zoo has the largest koala colony outside Australia. <br>
<br>
Koalas can climb a 16 foot gumtree. Koalas are usually ash gray with a white chest and the males are larger that the females. <br>
<br>
Baby koalas live in their mother’s pouch for seven months. Then the baby koala rides on its mother’s back for six months. When the mother koala leaves its baby, the baby lets out a loud cry until its mother gets back. <br>
<br>
The name koala means ‘no drink’ in Australian. The koalas doesn’t drink very much water. An adult koala eats from one to two pounds of eucalyptus leaves a day. <br>
<br>
Koalas sleep in eucalyptus trees during the day. On a typical day, a koala may stay awake for up to four or five hours and sleep for twenty. <br>
<br>
On the ground, the koala moves very slowly. A koala climbs trees by grasping a tree trunk with its front paws and pushing upward with its back legs. <br>
<br>
Koalas smell like cough drops because they eat the leaves from the eucalyptus trees. The oil from the eucalyptus trees is used to make cough drops and other medicines. <br>
<br>
A long time ago in Australia, many koalas lived in forests and woodlands. As more people started moving into the area, koalas were killed for food. Later, many koalas were killed for their furs because koala furs were warm and koalas were easy to hunt because they are so slow. <br>
<br>
Koalas are losing their homes because people are cutting down their trees to clear land for homes, roads and factories. Hundreds of koalas die each year because of careless drivers. Also, koalas are killed by domestic dogs. <br>
<br>
There are laws now to protect koalas. There are only a few laws that protect their habitat. <br>
<br>
There are special groups trying to help the koalas. These groups plant eucalyptus trees. They also tell the public about the dangers that koalas face. <br>
<br>
<br>
By Andrew V – Kilpatrick Elementary School, USA<br>
Winner – 8 years - Non-fiction |