Koala+Bear-+Parvaiz

__The Koala Bear __ By: Amber Parvaiz

 The Koala Bear is a part of the marsupial family. Koala Bears are commonly mistaken for bears but, they are not related to bears in any way! The Koala is related to Kangaroos, Wombats, and Possums. There are also three different sub-species of Koalas. Taxonomy: Kingdom- Animalia   Phylum- Chordata﻿  Class- Mammalia  Order- Diprotodontia  Family- Phascolarctidae  Genus- Phascolarctos  Species- Cinereus  Scientific Name: //Phascolarctidae cinereus//  __**Movement: **__ Koala Bears have four legs on which they walk on. They move slowly and awkwardly on land but, are very skilled climbers.Their pear shaped bodies and long thigh muscles make it easy for them to climb trees. __**How and What They Eat: **__ Koala Bears have weaker front teeth but, have really strong jaws. Their strong jaws make it easy for them to maintain their diet of tough jungle tree leaves. These leaves are called eucalytus leaves. No other animal can eat these leaves except Koala Bears. To any other animals, eucalytus leaves are toxic. The reason why Koalas can eat these leaves is because of their very slow metabolism which causes slow digestion. Koalas' slow digestive system helps them maintain their diet because their system detoxifies the leaves which is why only Koalas have the ability to eat them. Koala Bears eat through their mouth and have a one way digestive system. __**<span style="font-family: 'Lucida Sans Unicode','Lucida Grande',sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Growth and Development: **__ <span style="font-family: 'Lucida Sans Unicode','Lucida Grande',sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Koala Bears on average are about 27-36 inches. Their weight is between 17.6-30.6 pounds. It takes about 4 years for a female Koala to mature and 3-4 years for a male Koala to mature. <span style="font-family: 'Lucida Sans Unicode','Lucida Grande',sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">__**Mal****es and Females:**__ <span style="font-family: 'Lucida Sans Unicode','Lucida Grande',sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Male and Female Koalas have many differences. For example, male Koala Bears are generally bigger than females by an average of 8 pounds. Also, females are born with a pouch on their stomach similar to a kangaroos pouch execpt, the Koala bear pouch is not as visible as the Kangaroos'. The females use this pouch to hold their young. Finally, male Koalas generally mature quicker than females. __**<span style="font-family: 'Lucida Sans Unicode','Lucida Grande',sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Reproduction: **__ <span style="font-family: 'Lucida Sans Unicode','Lucida Grande',sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">A Koala can only have one baby at a time. A Koalas' gestation period is about 35 days long. __**<span style="font-family: 'Lucida Sans Unicode','Lucida Grande',sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Adaptions to Environment: **__ <span style="font-family: 'Lucida Sans Unicode','Lucida Grande',sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Koala Bears have adapted to their environment in many ways. For example, Koala Bears have great coordination which helps them swing from tree to tree and land where they want to. Another adaption they encountered is long thigh muscles. These long muscles make climbing quick and easy for Koalas. Finally, their fur adjusts to the changing jungle weather. Their thick coat of fur sheds some in the summer to prevent over-heating and, in winter they re-grow their thick fur to survive. <span style="font-family: 'Lucida Sans Unicode','Lucida Grande',sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Sources: <span style="font-family: 'Lucida Sans Unicode','Lucida Grande',sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">[|www.koalas.org]  <span style="font-family: 'Lucida Sans Unicode','Lucida Grande',sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">[|www.koala-bears.org]  <span style="font-family: 'Lucida Sans Unicode','Lucida Grande',sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">