Which Animals Eat Eucalyptus Leaves?
The koala is known for its diet of eucalyptus leaves. The koala is native to Australia and belongs to the marsupial family.
The koala is a pouched mammal or marsupial found in Eastern Australia. Eucalyptus trees are common in Eastern Australia, making the perfect habitat for the koala’s diet. Koalas eat exclusively from the eucalyptus tree and even rely on the foliage for the majority of their water intake. On average, two and a half pounds of leaves are eaten per day, with koalas even storing leaves in in their cheek pouches. The koala has a specially structured digestive system called a long gut, which allows breakdown of the tough leaves while leaving the koala unharmed by their poison. As a result of the their diet, the land required for sustenance is large, with each koala requiring about 100 trees to feed on.
Besides its diet, the koala is known for its relative inactivity, sleeping 18 hours a day and the rearing of its young. After birth, the mother carries the baby in its pouch for 6 months, until the baby has grown to infancy. The infant then climbs out of the pouch and lives by clinging onto its mother’s back or stomach for a further 6 months.
