Most people think of koalas as koala bears, but they are not bears. They are marsupials and are in the same family as the wombat. Koalas live in a particular place called a eucalyptus forest. They can be found in eastern and southeastern Australia. Adult koalas are one of only three animals that can live on a diet of eucalyptus leaves. These leaves contain 50% water. The eucalyptus leaves are mostly the primary source of water for koalas.

The koala is a marsupial, which means the baby crawls into a pouch pocket on the mother’s tummy as soon as it is born. Baby koalas are called “joeys.” When they are born, they cannot see, have no hair, and are less than one inch long. They stay in their mother’s pouch for the next six months. First, the mother feeds them milk. Then she feeds them a food called “pap” in addition to milk. Joeys continue to drink the mother’s milk until they are a year old. The young koala will remain with its mother until another joey is born and comes into the pouch.

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