Koala Facts

A nose can be a unique identifier for the koala we see out in the wild. If there isn’t a tag, or we can’t read the tag, we can still recognise a koala we’ve seen before by comparing their “nose print”. Some have markings around their chin or in their nostrils. There can be deep crevices in the nostrils, or they might be rounded and freckled. Sometimes even scars from fighting.

Examples below are Marbles and Romeo. Both have a freckle on the chin. Look at the perfect heart shape Romeo has compared to Marbles, making it easy to identify these two boys apart. Romeo also has quite a sharp angle to his nostrils. Marbles nostrils are more rounded, and he has some paler areas in his nostrils.

Marbles                                            Romeo

Other nose print examples

 A koala is a marsupial. It's nearest living relative is actually the Wombat. Just like the wombat, the pouch of a koala is considered to be backward-facing. A strong muscle keeps the baby secure while it bounds up a tree.

The koala starts as a pinkie, no bigger than a jelly bean and, although blind, manages to find its way into the pouch. Connecting to one of two teats in the pouch, the teat swells in its mouth for it to start suckling to stop it dislodging. For this reason, if you find a deceased or injured koala with something in the pouch, DO NOT attempt to remove the baby, leave that to an expert. It is better to take them to a wildlife hospital while still inside the deceased koala.

As the pinkie grows and develops fur, it becomes a pouch joey. Around 5–6 months old, the joey eats the special poo called pap to build up immunity to the toxins in eucalyptus leaves. They will start to venture in and out of the pouch as a back-rider until it is too big to get back in the pouch. A back-rider will still drink mum’s milk till around 12 months old but will be feeding on leaves from the time it first ventures from the pouch.

Koalas in care: Pinky 1–2 months old. Pinky is now getting fur 3-4 months old. Starting to look like a koala as we know it 6–7 months old.

 Did you know koalas' poo 24 hours a day, even in their sleep? Anywhere between 200–360 pellets per day. When a sick koala is in treatment, they pick up and count the poo every day to help monitor their recovery and make sure they are making progress.

 If you are out and about, the greener the poo is, the fresher it is because their diet consists of eucalyptus leaves.  As the poo ages and dries out, it becomes darker and harder. Sniffer dogs have been trained to find koala poo for surveys and DNA collection. Some dogs will only respond to the fresh poo when a koala is still likely to be in the tree.

 The poo of an adult is very similar in shape to possum poo but larger. Possums eat a variety of plants and insects, so their poo is not as green and mulch-like in appearance as that of the koala.

The joey, prior to leaving the pouch, eats a special poo mum produces called PAP. It is oilier than her normal poo and is designed to build up immunity in the baby because eucalyptus leaves are actually poisonous.

    Dried Poo                                      Pellets on the ground

fresh poo

                                    Oily pap on the ground                       Baby licking pap from the pouch

A koala has unique fingerprints just like us humans. They also have what looks like fingers and thumbs. Two thumbs, in fact on each front one.

The stronger, bigger claws are used for climbing, and the smaller claws of their partially joined fingers are used for grooming. A koala likes to keep their fur looking pristine. This is why a sick koala can stand out by the fact that their fur is looking matted and unkempt.

When you have the chance, read the amazing story in the From the Vault.about Mr Craw

You can see why we wear welding gloves when rescuing….

 Front claws                                         Back Claws

Many attribute the name of the koala to coming from European Settlers hearing a mob of Dharug in NSW calling them this word. The rough translation being no water or no drink because koalas were not seen coming down to the water holes to drink. An appropriate name, as koalas actually do get their moisture from the leaves they eat and sometimes can be seen licking the rain from the leaves, branches and trunks of their tree. During drought or sickness, a koala may come down to drink water. This tells you that something is wrong. Don’t think it’s cute to see them on the ground drinking and taking a selfie, a call to a wildlife rescue organisation is warranted.

Call us 24/7 0401 350 799

Indigenous names vary, as they were without a written language, and verbal pronunciation between the mobs can be similar (just like the many dialects found in England and Scotland). Maps and books have many spellings with similar sounds for the territories. Mobs didn’t have boundaries like Europeans. This list is from a variety of spellings available and roughly the areas they cover in South East Queensland. Borobi, a blue koala, became the Mascot of the GC Commonwealth Games.

See also the page for specific information Problems Koalas Face