This slow nice small animal treats unique family of koalas, or marsupials of bears where the one and only look enters. It lives only in Australia and on several nearby islands. 
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And though this fluffy small animal often call a bear cub, actually to bears it has no relation.
James Cook did not notice koalas during the well-known swimming to coast of Australia. About existence of fluffy marsupials of bears Europeans did not suspect till 1798 when in the Blue Mountains a certain Price saw the animals similar to the South American idlers. Locals called them куллавайн. After this meeting fluffy симпатяги caught sight to people even more often.
For a science a koala it became known in 1802, and one year the live small animal later was caught. The "official", scientific name a koala received only in 1816 when to it appropriated the patrimonial name Phascolarctos – from Greek phaskolos «a leather bag» and arktos "bear". The specific name, cinereus (ashy), the small animal received thanks to color of a fur coat.
As well as the majority of animals of Australia, a koala are very original. By the way, in language of tribes of New South Wales their name is translated as "not to drink". And they really do not drink. And it not their unique feature.
Koalas – small dense small animals. Their growth fluctuates from 60 to 82 cm, and weight – from 5 to 16 kg. The head at them big, with flat "person", eyes small and widely placed, ears large, rounded off and shaggy, always guarded and listening. Laziness to read? Then listen!
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Paws at koalas are perfectly adapted for a lasagna and a tseplyaniye, big and index fingers are opposed to all by the rest – more convenient to clasp a branch. These animals few of not — primacies who on small pillows of fingers has the papillyarny pattern which prints the little differ from the human. They have a tail, but it such small that is not swept up almost.
The fur at these small animals soft and dense, its color depends on the district where there lives a koala, and can be gray, reddish and even reddish. On a paunch it is always more light, than on a back.
One of the most outstanding parts of a body at a koala are claws. They so powerful and strong that, having stuck them into a tree, the koala does not fall down, even when will strong fall asleep. And they sleep often and long, till 20 o’clock per day. Koalas in general very phlegmatic animals: in the afternoon even if do not sleep, they sit motionlessly, having clung to a tree and only turning the head here and there. Often on a back of a female the kid, same unperturbable, as well as his mother sits.
Koalas revive at night, then swarm up branches in search of food. On the earth go down very seldom, mainly when it is necessary to get over from one tree on another, and to jump far. By the way, these animals are able to jump not bad, and in especially dangerous cases even can escape heavy gallop. And are able to float.
Koalas eat the eucalyptus leaves, the moisture necessary to them receive from the same leaves, and also from dew which on them accumulates. Marsupials of a bear only drink when are ill and during the periods of strong droughts.
Anything except evkaliptovy leaves of a koala do not eat. To these also explain their sluggishness. Such food contains not enough protein therefore also speed of a metabolism at these fluffy small animals almost is twice lower, than at the majority of other mammals. In day the koala eats on the average kg of leaves.
And now the most interesting. Evkaliptovy leaves so loved by koalas contain many phenolic and terpenovy connections which are poisonous for the majority of animals. And escapes besides can contain hydrocianic acid.
Koalas somehow are able to define those types of eucalyptuses which contain less poisonous substances. Therefore small animals use in food only small part from all variety of these trees.
Koalas – inveterate singles. Females live everyone on the site, and males, though do not adhere to territorial borders, but thirst even less to communicate with each other and if suddenly will meet, to a course there are claws.
Gather small small groups of a koala only during the marriage period. As males is born less, round the man the harem from 2-3 females often gathers. At this time it is often possible to hear the invocatory shout of the gentleman similar on «something average between snore of the stout drunkard, a door scratch on zarzhavlenny loops and grumble of a dissatisfied pig by something». But «for someone’s shaggy ears it is fine music, after all it is the love song a koala». However, the family man from this singer bad – it abandons the wife soon after birth of the successor.
Pregnancy at koalas lasts month, one kid in length about 15-18 mm and mass of only 5,5 g is born usually. Six months a cub live in a bag of mother, eating her milk. Then gradually starts to get over on her back. At this time the kid starts to receive from the mother strange food – special excrements, not so such as usual excrement, and similar to a kashitsa from the semi-digested evkaliptovy leaves. By means of this special food which the female allocates about a month, the microorganisms necessary for digestion get to the digestive highway of a cub.
About one year mother backs the grown-up kid, and during a dream or bad weather strong presses to itself. Somewhere at the age of a year of the daughter go on searches of personal sites, and sons can remain about mother till 2-3 years.
This nice animal has not enough enemies, but in the first half of the XX century of a koala were almost destroyed because of great demand for their fluffy fur coats. When the authorities, at last, came round and forbade hunting for marsupials of bear cubs, them remained so a little that catching of the escaped koalas and their cultivation in bondage was one of ways of rescue of this unique look. So there were first a koala parks. Presently affairs of these animals go better, but all of them not so widespread as, for example, a kangaroo.
By the way, koalas are easily tamed. The kids living in bondage, like to sleep on hands at the person. Adult bears too very much become attached to those who looks after them, and from time to time behave as the real spoiled children – "cry", when owners are occupied, and calm down, if them take on hands.