View source for Koala - Phascolarctos cinereus

[[File:Koala climbing tree.jpg|alt=Koala climbing tree|thumb|Koala climbing tree]]
The '''koala''' ('''''Phascolarctos cinereus''''') or, sometimes inaccurately called, koala bear''',''' is an arboreal herbivorous marsupial native to Australia. It is the only extant representative of the family Phascolarctidae and its closest living relatives are the wombats.

The koala is found in coastal areas of the mainland's eastern and southern regions, inhabiting Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, and South Australia. [[File:Koala Range.jpg|alt=The Distribution of the Koala in Australia|thumb|The Distribution of the Koala in Australia]]Koalas typically inhabit open eucalyptus woodland, as the leaves of these trees make up most of their diet. This eucalypt diet has low nutritional and caloric content and contains toxins that deter most other mammals from feeding on it. Koalas are largely sedentary and sleep up to twenty hours a day. They are asocial animals, and bonding exists only between mothers and dependent offspring. Adult males communicate with loud bellows that intimidate rivals and attract mates. Males mark their presence with secretions from scent glands located on their chests. Being marsupials, koalas give birth to underdeveloped young that crawl into their mothers' pouches, where they stay for the first six to seven months of their lives. These young koalas, known as joeys, are fully weaned around a year old. Koalas have few natural predators and parasites, but are threatened by various pathogens, such as Chlamydiaceae bacteria and ''koala retrovirus''.