Koala

1. Koala

2. Scientific Name The scientific name for the Koala is Phascolarctos The Koalas scientific name comes from Greece, Phaskolos meaning “pouch" and arktos meaning “bear”.

3. Animals classification The koala is in the mammalia kingdom and the chordata phylum There are seven main levels of classification. Kingdom , phylum, class, order, family, genus and species

4. Description.. • Its fur is thick and wooly, generally grey with a white belly. Its length is around about 32”and its wait is about 23lbs for males, and 18 for females. • The Koala is tailless with large tufted ears. • Breeding is done in September to January with a gestation of about 35 days. • It has been illegal to kill Koalas for 89 years.

5. What makes it a vertebrate. • The Koala is a vertebrate animal because it has a spine. • It also has a internal skeleton, a head, central nervous system ,brain and a neural tube.

6. Adaptation Koalas are designed for there tree climbing ability There hands have a large gap in between there first and second fingers and there big toe is set at a wide angle to the foot this gives the Koala good grip to branches. They comfortably sit in the tree because of there thickly padded toes.

7. Koalas are native to Australia and live in eucalyptus forests and are found on the south-eastern coastal regions . They are only found in trees and they only live in eucalyptus trees where they eat the leaves the tree provides food water shelter and safety from predators Habitat

8. Is it endangered. • The koalas are secure but In the 1800s koalas were rapidly killed for the use of there fur but laws were put in and the koalas numbers started rising.

9. Why I chose it • I chose the koala because is my favorite animal and there a lot to learn about it. • I learnt that the animal was rapidly killed in the 1800s but the numbers are secure today.