Is a koala a bear?
No, a koala is not a bear. It is a marsupial, a mammal that raises its young in a pouch. Koalas are often called koala bears because early European settlers thought they looked like small bears.
Koalas belong to a group of marsupials called diprotodonts, which also includes kangaroos and wombats. Their closest living relatives are wombats.
Like other marsupials, a female koala gives birth to a tiny, undeveloped baby, called a joey, which crawls into the mother's pouch and continues developing there.
How koalas live
Koalas live in eucalyptus forests and woodlands in eastern and southeastern Australia. They eat eucalyptus leaves, which are low in nutrients and toxic to many animals.
To save energy, koalas sleep or rest for up to 20 hours a day. They have strong claws and padded paws for climbing trees.
Koalas are listed as endangered in Queensland, New South Wales and the ACT, due to habitat loss, disease, dog attacks and bushfires. Scientists and wildlife groups discourage the term koala bear because it is incorrect.
Koalas communicate with deep bellowing calls, which sound surprisingly loud for their size.