Habitats

Despite popular lore, koalas aren’t drunk on Eucalyptus.

The only way an animal can survive on a diet so low in nutrients is to waste little energy on a big brain or an active lifestyle. The koala has neither. In other words, it is relatively slow moving and sleepy most of the time because if it were to lead a more active lifestyle it would starve on its low energy diet.

Extending from the temperate south to the tropical north, koalas are found in a range of habitats, particularly tall eucalypt forests and woodlands along eastern Australia. Koalas are found in Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia.

Koalas are very fussy eaters and prefer specific types of gum leaves. In Australia there are over 600 types of eucalypts, but koalas will not eat most of these. Within any particular area, local koalas will usually only feed on a handful of species of eucalypt. As different parts of Australia have different species of eucalypts, a koala in Victoria would have a very different diet from one in Queensland.