Koalas are marsupials, not bears. And just like kangaroos -- another marsupial -- they have a little pouch where they carry around their babies. Not that they do a lot of carrying, though. In fact, koalas don't do much of anything when it comes to moving around.
Sleeping It Off
Koalas sleep about 18 hours a day, according to Wildlife Extra. Because they are nocturnal animals, they will sleep most of the day away, waking up occasionally to move around or to interact with other koalas. At night koalas wake up to eat -- although they do sometimes take naps throughout the night, especially if there's nothing exciting going on.
Searching For Food
When awake, koalas spend a good amount of their time "exploring" the eucalyptus trees in the area, searching for the right leaves to eat. That's because koalas eat only eucalyptus -- and not every kind. Of the several hundred species of eucalyptus in existence, koalas eat only a few. Even then, not every koala eats the same kind. For example, koalas in Western Australia might eat a different type of eucalyptus than koalas on the eastern coast, simply because the same type is not available on both coasts.
What's With All the Sleeping
Koalas need to sleep for long hours because of their diets. For starters, the koala's diet is very high in fiber and very low in calories. As a result, the koalas don't have a lot of energy to spare, so they must sleep long hours to conserve as much energy as possible. Also, the leaves are difficult and slow to digest because of their fibrous consistence, so sleeping is a good way to let the body go through the digestion process without spending too much energy on other things -- like moving around.
Talking to the Neighbors
Koalas are very social animals and form close family and friendship bonds. Only a limited number of koalas can live in a certain forest, because the amount of food wouldn't otherwise be enough. Those living in the area will communicate with each other through a series of noises and snore-like sounds. So at least part of the day is spent with the koalas "talking" to each other.
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Writer Bio
Tammy Dray has been writing since 1996. She specializes in health, wellness and travel topics and has credits in various publications including Woman's Day, Marie Claire, Adirondack Life and Self. She is also a seasoned independent traveler and a certified personal trainer and nutrition consultant. Dray is pursuing a criminal justice degree at Penn Foster College.
