When you think of a cute, furry¹ wild animal, you often picture a koala. These adorable-looking creatures appear docile² and friendly, so it's no wonder people are concerned about the future of the species after the devastating³ bushfires that destroyed parts of Australia earlier this year. Luckily, many survived, which gives us a chance to continue to learn more about these marsupials.

 

Australia's native and unique wildlife such as kangaroos, platypus⁴ and koalas, are under constant threat from human activity and natural disasters. It's thought at least a billion animals lost their lives as a result of this year's bushfires. Recently, drones and thermal⁵ imaging technology have been used to track their movements to help them keep safe. Protecting these unique species is important because, as The Australian Koala Foundation estimates, there are now possibly as few as 43,000 koalas in the wild.

 

So, what is so special about koalas and what makes them so 'cool'? Maybe we envy their ability to sleep for up to 22 hours day! Or could it be their laid-back appearance due to the fact that they are herbivores and mainly feed on juicy eucalyptus⁶ leaves, which take a lot of time and energy to digest.

 

What is amazing is that because they often live in a dry and hot environment, they drink very little water. So, how do they survive? Well, scientists have discovered that these wild mammals lick running water off the smooth surface of a tree trunk when it is raining. This phenomenon is called "stemflow". Valentina Mella, the lead author of the research and an ethnologist from the University of Sydney, told the BBC: "I think the main message is that behavioural observations in the wild are very important to establish what is normal and what is unusual, and to truly understand what animals need. If we watch them carefully, they will tell us."

 

So, despite the word 'koala' meaning 'no drink' or 'no water' in the Aboriginal⁷ language, it seems that even these sleepy creatures do need a drink sometimes. And if we're to encourage them to flourish, we need to conserve⁸ their habitat.

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