What are behavioural adaptations of the koala?

Answer 1

Koalas have a number of behavioural adaptations to survive in their environment.

They climb tall, straight gum trees trees for food, shelter and protection from ground-dwelling predators.

Male koalas have a scent gland which emits a very strong scent. They use this gland to mark their hokme trees, rubbing the gland against the trunk of the tree. This lets other males koalas know it is "his" tree.

Koalas live in communities where the social structure is quite complex. Koalas are territorial, but each koala within the social group has its own specific range for feeding, which may or may not overlap the range of its neighbour. There is always one dominant male in each social group, but he is by no means the only male. Koalas feed alone and travel alone, but they understand their own social structure. When one of their community dies, another does not immediately move in and take its place. It takes about a year for the scent of the previous occupant to fade, and only then will another koala move in to its range.

In recent years, koalas in the southern states have changed their behaviour as a result of the excessive heat and prolonged droughts. Once shy of all human contact, and known for not requiring water to drink as eucalyptus leaves provide all their moisture needs, individual koalas have been known to actively seek out humans to supply them with water. Oakes have been known to approach people in their territory, or to follow bushwalkers, seeking a drink.

Answer 2

Koalas have behavioural adaptations such as being nocturnal to avoid extreme heat during the day, sleeping up to 18-22 hours to conserve energy, and having a sedentary lifestyle to minimize energy expenditure. They are also highly selective in their diet, feeding only on eucalyptus leaves which are toxic to most animals but have been adapted to their digestive system.

Answer 3

One behavioural adaptation of a koala is the way koalas have learned to look for water in people's backyards during heatwaves or prolonged drought. Koalas do not normally need to dry, as they can usually get all their moisture needs from the leaves they eat. However, they have been known to drink from buckets, Swimming Pools and even approach bushwalkers carrying water bottles, readily accepting a drink from the bottle.

Answer 4

A koala's natural instinct is to climb certain species of eucalyptus trees, from which it can obtain all its nutritional needs, as well as its shelter.