Koala Population Facts

Some quick facts about koalas.

Koalas look similar to wombats, but they have a thicker, more luxurious coat, larger ears, and longer limbs, which have large, sharp claws that assist with climbing. Koalas weight varies between 14kg and 5kg. The fur is thick- not soft and cuddly. The koala is one of the frew mammals that has fingerprints. Koala fingerprints look remarkably similar to human fingerprints.

Female koalas reach maturity around 2 or 3 years of age, while males do not until 3 to 4 years. Healthy females can produce one baby koala per year for up to 12 years. The gestation period is only 35 days, and occurs after mating which is normally between December and March (the summertime in Australia).

A baby koala is called a “joey” and is hairless, earless, and blind. They are the size of jelly beans at birth and remain in the mother’s pouch for about 6 months while developing and growing ears, eyes, and fur. The total number of koalas alive today is estimated to be in the hundreds of thousands.