I recently had the opportunity to visit the Dallas Zoo. It was my first visit to Dallas and my first visit to the Dallas Zoo. It was a wonderful zoo! Since spring arrived in the south so early this year, all of the vegetation was lush and in bloom. I have never been to a zoo that had koala "bears", so I made a beeline straight for their enclosure.
I was not disappointed. The koalas were magnificent!
The koalas are such amazing animals, so I thought I would look up the stats and statistics for them:
- Koalas are often called bears, but this is not correct. Koalas are marsupials.
- Koalas weigh between 9 and 20 pounds.
- Koala fur is thick and soft and pleasant to touch.
- Koalas can live up to 17 years.
- Koalas spend up to 75% of each day sleeping. They become active at sunset.
- Koalas survive solely on a diet of eucalyptus leaves.
- Koalas seldon drink water. The eucalyptus leaves are about 50% water.
- Koalas have a very slow metabolism due to their nutrient poor diet.
- Koalas breed once a year. The gestation period is only 35 days.
- The baby is born hairless and blind, is less than one inch long and weighs less than one ounce.
- Unaided, the baby must crawl to its mother's pouch, relying only on its sense of smell to do so.
- Once inside the pouch, the baby will remain for 6 months, drinking milk from the mother.
This was my first encounter with the koala. I watched them for quite some time, and left very satisfied with the experience!
They certainly are beautiful! I am so glad you liked them :) They are an endangered species here in Australia, as they are very sensitive to habitat distruction - however I have been fortunate to see quite a few "in the wild". They truly are very special :)
ReplyDeleteOh, Melanie! How very fortunate for you that you have had the opportunity to see the koala in the wild! I am most envious! Habitat destruction is forcing so many wonderful species to the brink of extinction. I wonder if man will ever learn! My husband and I have already decided that Australia will be the first place we visit when we retire!
ReplyDeleteExcuse my shocking spelling! Combination of using iPad and "baby brain"!! You will love Australia, why not do a teaching exchange instead of waiting for retirement ;)
ReplyDeleteToo many "things" are holding me here right now.....elderly parents, one kid in college, one kid in high school, and a husband that would never leave his job. And I hope to retire in 2 years!!!
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