Tuesday 29 March 2011

ABC Wednesday, K for Koala





The koala is a marsupial. The female has a pouch, where her tiny, hairless baby grows, after the mother has given birth and helped it crawl into the pouch. Inside the pouch the baby finds a nipple. It stays attached to the nipple until it
has grown fur and can see. After seven months, the baby starts to climb out of the pouch and wanders around in the vicinity of its mother. A koala spends most of its time asleep in forks of gum trees. It eats leaves of the gum tree, lots of it because they don't give much energy. Koalas live in eastern Australia where they depend on the gum trees( eucalypts).The koala has two thumps on each front paw.This helps the koala to grip onto the trunks of trees easily
The koala is only found in Australia. A female koala can breed at two years of age, while the male can breed at the age of five, after he has found a home range. The time between mating and birth is about 35 years."

I am sorry to say that I didn't see koalas myself, except in zoos of course. So these photos were taken from a book I bought in Australia.



With thanks to Denise Nesbitt, who created ABC.We started round 8 of the fascinating meme of ABC. For more interesting ABC posts click on the logo in the sidebar or Here. This week we are looking for words beginning with K.





I got these photos by e-mail!

It is not common for a Koala to bear twins and, regrettably
in this instance, the Mum was struck and killed by a passing car.

Fortunately, the driver stopped, and took the mother to the
local vet, not knowing she was dead, - where it was soon discovered that she had these twins in her pouch.
First photo: Tiny Koala being fed with syringe...so tiny!!
Followed by a pictorial chronology of their growth..
.

40 comments:

Carver said...

Wonderful shots of the koala and such an interesting post. I'm so glad the babies were discovered and cared for. Sad about the mother but still such a heart warming story.

anthonynorth said...

They're such lovely creatures. Enjoyed the post.

MERYL JAFFE, PhD - parent, psychologist, teacher, author... said...

Oh my goodness!!!! The photos and clips are so cute, and I love how you present the material. Living on the US continent, I don't often get to see these.

Thanks!
Meryl
http://departingthetext.blogspot.com

Gigi Ann said...

The slide shows were wonderful. They are such cute animals, and a great choice for K day.

Roger Owen Green said...

such a kute koala!
ROG, ABC Wednesday team

Anya said...

Leukkkkkkkkkkkkkkkk :))))

Ja alle kleine dieren zijn leuk
maar koala's ook als ze groter zijn.

Enig blogje :-)

Fijne avond
groetjes van ons allemaal

Sylvia K said...

Such lovely shots of the koala! They're one of my favorites. And thanks, too, for such an interesting post. I'm so glad the babies were saved! Hope your week is off to a wonderful start, Wil!

Sylvia
ABC Team

Leslie: said...

KUDOS to the driver for taking the body to the vet and lucky for those little twins! A wonderful post today on koalas...why is it children LOVE them? I know both my daughters had stuffed ones when they were small. I guess they loved them because they're so cute!

Leslie
ABCW Team

Gigi Ann said...

Hi Wil,
This is the information about the Kinkajou I found in Wikipedia. Sorry I didn't have your e-mail address.

The kinkajou (Potos flavus), also known as the honey bear (a name it shares with the sun bear), is a rainforest mammal of the family Procyonidae related to olingos, coatis, raccoons, and the ringtail and cacomistle. It is the only member of the genus Potos. Kinkajous may be mistaken for ferrets or monkeys, but are not related. Native to Central America and South America, this arboreal mammal is not an endangered species, though it is seldom seen by people because of its strict nocturnal habits. However, they are hunted for the pet trade, for their fur (to make wallets and horse saddles) and for their meat. The species has been included in Appendix III of CITES by Honduras, which means that exports from Honduras require an export permit and exports from other countries require a certificate of origin or re-export.[2] They may live up to 40 years in captivity.

Cezar and Léia said...

I love Koalas! They are so adorable!
I have one here , my special "peluche"friend, but it's a dream for me to see one in person, I mean, not a peluche...a REAL koala!
Lovely post!
Léia

photowannabe said...

Koalas are so cute. They look like stuffed toys.
Thanks for sharing.
I wish my pictures had shown up on my post today. There are 2 separate posts. At least there is something to read.
Frustrating!

Paula Scott Molokai Girl Studio said...

Love those koalas! They always look so huggable. I bet the person who accidentally ran over that mother koala was devastated after learning that not only was she dead, but had twins in her pouch. What a story of compassion and survival.

The Weaver of Grass said...

Lovely photos Wil and lovely header of Gouda - looks such a lovely place - ad I do love that cheese.

Tumblewords: said...

Koalas are the cutest little things - a wee bit strange and yet cuddly as can be...great post!

Barbara said...

I love the slide shows, Koalas are so cute! I am please the babies survived, it must have been a lot of hard work.

mrsnesbitt said...

Wow! Heart moving I love the diversity and creativity we see each week on ABC Wednesday!

Denise (ABC Team & Founder)

Indrani said...

Touching story, and the pics add a lot. Great one for 'K'.

Unknown said...

Oh my heart. They are so darling. I didn't know they often had twins. I am going to share this with Kaish. He loves animals.

Linda Bob Grifins Korbetis Hall said...

we are on the similar page,
your post is more detailed and Kreativ.

way to go.

J.Rylie.C said...

Beautiful K!

Have a little tour of Korea, come by and see.

Kay said...

Wow! That is so awesome! Those twins are just adorable. Thank goodness they were saved although they lost their poor mother.

DawnTreader said...

Cute and cuddly as they may seem, maybe one had better watch out for those claws! Great K-post.

Beyond the Lone Islands, K for Kaleidoscope

Shooting Parrots said...

Koalas have fingerprints that almost indistinguishable from human ones, or so I'm told.

Marana said...

very nice post, cute photos of koala. Visiting for ABC challenge!

Arkansas Patti said...

What darling pictures. Is there a cuter creature on the planet?
So glad that driver had the compassion to take the poor mum to the vet.

Anonymous said...

Such a precious "K." Oh, and gouda (aged 3 years) is my personal favorite. By the way, Reader Wil, if you start a second blog, you can call it, "Reader Won't." (hope you take this as a clever joke and NOT meant to be hurtful)!

Janet said...

What adorable creatures!

Chloe m said...

These are my daughter's favorite animals.
Sad about the Mama. hope the baby survives and is healthy and happy.
Cute video!

Bradley Hsi said...

I have a good photo of koala also on my blog. It is from a zoo.

Gattina said...

They look so sweet !
I prefer grilled chicken !
Gattina
ABC Team

bluedreamer27 said...

oh wow they are so cute
but the story about the mommy Koala is kinda sad...
it's nice to be here in your blog..
It's my first time to join the ABC Wednesday

Patty said...

They look so lovable, but I understand they can become a little mean at times. Although they don't look it in the photos. It's amazing the two little ones lived. Well this is what some people call hump day, middle of the week. So if I don't get back before, have a wonderful week-end.

Vagabonde said...

Ils sont si mignons! Ils ont eu de la chance d’être sauvés – j’espère que maintenant ils auront une vie heureuse.

SandyCarlson said...

Twins! Orphans. Damn the cars that take out so many beautiful animals.

This post warms my heart through and through.

Oakland Daily Photo said...

So adorable looking but watch out for the claws. They look like they could do serious damage.

Ann, Chen Jie Xue 陈洁雪 said...

The most famous native of Australia.

Did you watch Nicole Kidman in "Australia?"

Nydia said...

Aawww... I love koalas!! Such gentle little creatures, loved the photos, and cool info, thanks for sharing! :)

Kisses from Nydia.

Vicki Lane said...

Charming little creatures!

Cloudia said...

very sweet-

loved visiting Gouda!


thank you for forgiving my good intentions gone off the tracks amidst life's tumult, dear friend-




Aloha from Waikiki


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Janice Thomson said...

Such sweet little creatures!