KOALA

Koalas are not bears - they're actually marsupials! They carry their babies (called joeys) in a pouch for about six months after birth. These adorable creatures are native to Australia and are famous for their sleepy lifestyle.

Koalas sleep up to 20 hours a day! The reason? Their diet of eucalyptus leaves is low in nutrition and difficult to digest, so they conserve energy by sleeping most of the day. These leaves are also toxic to most animals, but koalas have a special digestive system that breaks down the toxins.

Each koala eats about 500g of eucalyptus leaves daily and has a unique home range. They rarely need to drink water because they get most of their moisture from the leaves - "koala" actually means "no drink" in the Aboriginal language!

📍 WHERE WILL YOU FIND THEM

You will find the koalas at pen K3, near the Australian outback exhibit. They're most active in the early morning and late afternoon!

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