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Wild Koala Day
"Oh, I love you, I still care
All my affection's there
I will walk with you to the end of the passage
My little koala type bear
Little koala type bear"
~ Ode to a Koala Bear, Paul McCartney, 1983
The Australian koala, scientifically known as Phascolarctos cinereus—a name meaning "ash-gray pocket-bear"—is, despite common belief, not a bear at all. Rather, it is a marsupial, and its closest relative is the sturdy, ground-dwelling wombat. The koala’s common name comes from the Aboriginal Dharug language and translates to "no water," reflecting the once-held (and incorrect) assumption that these animals never need to descend from the treetops to drink.
In truth, koalas obtain most of their hydration from their eucalyptus leaf diet, which is rich in water content but notoriously low in nutrients and calories. This sparse nutritional profile helps explain the koala's famously sedentary lifestyle. These iconic tree-huggers can sleep for up to 20 hours a day and may devote as little as 15 minutes to social interaction.
Though small in size, the koala produces a surprisingly deep, rumbling vocalization—around 20 times lower-pitched than would be expected for an animal of its stature. The eerie intensity of their call is so memorable that sound designers used it in the mix for the T. rex’s roar in Jurassic Park!
This tartan’s design pays tribute to the koala’s distinctive appearance and habits. Shades of dark and light grey echo its soft fur, while touches of white represent the speckles found on its rump, chest, and ears. Black stands for the koala’s signature nose, pink for the bare skin around its nostrils and mouth, and dark brown for its eyes. Finally, green threads weave in to honor the koala’s beloved eucalyptus leaves! 🖤 🤎 💚 🤍 🌿 🌿 🌿 🐨 🐨 🐨
The Australian koala, known for its teddy-bear like appearance, and is a favourite animal throughout the world. The koala is found in coastal areas of the mainland's eastern and southern regions, inhabiting Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, and South Australia. It is easily recognisable by its stout, tailless body and large head with round, fluffy ears and large, spoon-shaped nose.
They are predominantly active at night and spend most of their waking hours feeding. They typically eat and sleep in the same tree, possibly for as long as a day. On very hot days, a koala may climb down to the coolest part of the tree which is cooler than the surrounding air. The koala hugs the tree to lose heat without panting. During cold, wet periods, it curls itself into a tight ball to conserve energy.
Adult males communicate with loud bellows—low pitched sounds that consist of snore-like inhalations and resonant exhalations that sound like growls. Koalas may bellow at any time of the year, particularly during the breeding season, when it serves to attract females and possibly intimidate other males. Female koalas bellow, though more softly, in addition to making snarls, wails, and screams. Young koalas squeak when in distress. As they get older, the squeak develops into a "squawk" produced both when in distress and to show aggression.
Koalas eat around half a kilogram of eucalyptus leaves a day. They’re very picky, tending to choose around 30 of the 600 varieties of eucalyptus trees out there.
Notes from the Scottish Register of Tartans:
The Koala tartan was designed to celebrate the beauty of the Australian native marsupial, a much loved Australian national icon. The tartan colours are intended to represent the Koala: dark and light grey for the majority of their coat colour with white speckles or patches on the rump and chest area and inside ears; black for their nose; pink for the skin colour around the nose and mouth, only seen on close inspection; dark brown for their eye colour and green for the eucalyptus leaves which is their main diet and dwelling tree.
For more interesting facts about the koala, click the koala!