Stop calling them Koala Bears. They’re marsupials.
These eastern Australian natives spend most of their days, typically over 18 hours, sleeping in eucalyptus trees. The rest is spent eating eucalyptus leaves and slowly moving from one eucalyptus perch to the next. Thank God they’re cute, because otherwise they would be boring as hell.
The reason for their perpetual lethargy is in fact their diet. Eucalypt leaves take a long time to digest and don’t provide much energy. Fortunately, koalas don’t have any real predators and have evolved to lead a largely uneventful life, so the eucalyptus diet suits them just fine.
To spot them, first head to an Eastern Australian eucalyptus forest and look up. If you absolutely NEED to cuddle one, most Aussie zoos have you covered. Just don’t expect Koalas to be as soft as your stuffed animals. Their hair is actually quite coarse. And they smell a bit like cough drops.
Australia