Koala

Hello there. You might have heard people call me a koala bear, but I want to share a little secret with you: I’m not a bear at all. I am a Koala, and I’m a special type of mammal called a marsupial. My story began when I was born, no bigger than a jellybean. I was tiny, pink, and had no fur yet. My very first journey was a big one for someone so small. I crawled all by myself into my mother's pouch. It was the warmest, safest place in the world. For the first six to seven months of my life, that pouch was my entire universe. I stayed tucked inside, drinking milk and growing stronger every day, getting ready for the big, leafy world that waited for me outside.

After about seven months, I was finally big enough to peek out of the pouch. The world was full of green leaves and bright sunshine. Soon, I was riding on my mother’s back, clinging tightly to her fur as she climbed high into the eucalyptus trees. This was when my diet started to change. My mother gave me a special meal called ‘pap.’ It might sound a bit strange, but this meal was incredibly important because it prepared my stomach to digest eucalyptus leaves, which would become my only food. My mom taught me everything—how to grip the branches tightly, how to balance way up high, and how to choose the tastiest and safest leaves to eat. Because I only eat eucalyptus, I am what is known as a specialist. It takes a lot of skill to know which leaves are good and which are not.

Living in trees is what I was built for, and I have some amazing features that make it possible. If you were to look at my front paws, you would see that I have two opposable thumbs on each one. This gives me an extra-strong grip for climbing and holding onto branches, even when the wind blows. My fur is very thick, which keeps me warm and dry. One of my best adaptations is something you can’t see. At the base of my spine, I have a pad of special cartilage that acts like a built-in cushion. This makes it comfortable for me to sit on rough branches for hours and hours. Because eucalyptus leaves don't provide a lot of energy, I have to conserve mine. That’s why I spend up to 20 hours a day sleeping, nestled high in my tree home.

My ancestors have lived in the forests of Australia for a very long time. It wasn’t until 1798 that Europeans first wrote about seeing us in their journals. For a long time, we lived peacefully in our eucalyptus forests. But over the years, our world began to change. Our forest homes started to shrink, leaving us with fewer places to live and find food. Then, a great challenge arrived. During the years 2019 and 2020, huge bushfires swept across the land. These fires were devastating for my species. Many of our trees were burned, which meant our food and our safe homes disappeared. It became much harder for us to survive in a world that had changed so quickly.

After the terrible fires, something hopeful happened. People all over the world were worried about us. They saw that we were in trouble and wanted to help. Because so many people cared, the Australian government took an important step. On February 12th, 2022, my species was officially listed as Endangered in some of the most important parts of our home range. This special status means that more people are working together to protect us and to help our forests grow back. I am now a symbol for conservation. When people work to protect my home, they are also protecting all the other birds, insects, and animals that share the forest with me. My story reminds everyone that we are all connected and that taking care of our world is the most important job we have.