X-Google-Language: ENGLISH,ASCII-7-bit X-Google-Thread: f996b,730bb1fc625f7661 X-Google-Attributes: gidf996b,public From: ianlxx@curie.dialix.com.au (Ian Lowery) Subject: Re: Req: Koala Date: 1997/07/23 Message-ID: <33de9f56.16786707@coffee.DIALix.COM>#1/1 X-Deja-AN: 259651368 References: <33cfa3a4.4353721@news.polyu.edu.hk> <33D3B396.6C4B@freent.toronto.on.ca> Organization: DIALix Services, Sydney, Australia. Newsgroups: alt.ascii-art llizard wrote: >(Glory Moon) wrote: >> my attempt at tiny koalas: >> "@" >> gpyy (_3 >> "@" >> gpyy E_) >> hmmm, not so good. what kind of trees do koalas usually cling to? 1) They are good 2) Eucalypts. >Those little koalas are wonderful. Well done. Agreed. >I believe it's eucalyptus trees that koalas prefer. Actually, it is not so much a preference as a necessity: *** Everything you Didn't Want to Know About Koalas, *** and Were Afraid to Ask There are about 700 species of eucalypt in Australia, and 2 which are native to the Phillipines. Eucalypts gained dominance here due to the aboriginals' use of fire over millenia. Eucalypts are generally quite inflamable, and promote fire to give tbem the edge on competing species. Eucalyptus oil, besides being flmmable and a good solvent, is quite poisonous. It tastes so bad and is sufficiently poisonous that the tree is generally well protected from insects, and the only mammal to eat the leaves is the Koala. Koalas are able to process eucalyptus leaves due to bacteria in the gut. these bacteria are handed on from generation to generation through the babies' eating the mothers' faeces. While Koalas are able to process the leaves, they have adapted and evolved so as to prevent them from becoming poisoned by Eucalypts. They must regularly change the species of Eucalypt which they are currently eating. I think that they can only stick with the one species for about 3 days, but I am not sure of that figure. I am sure that the number of species they eat is about 5. But changing species is not enough in itself, and Koalas rely on energy minimisation to lessen the need for food. That is why they look so cute and cuddly when they sleep for 18 hours a day. Alas, they have another ploy. Koalas are not the brightest animals in the world. Their brain is not very large, as that would require more energy, and hence more food. Ian (Remove the anti-spam "xx" from the e-mail address if you wish to write to me)