How Much Do Koalas Sleep?
Koalas (Phascolarctos cinereus) are a small species of marsupials native to Australia that are popularly known on the internet for their cute, sweet appearance and for being too sleepy. Beyond this public knowledge data, do you really know how much koalas sleep? More than you could imagine!
Although the idea that they are very lazy and slow animals is not alien, it has been confirmed with certainty that this species spends almost all of its day resting and digesting food. Unfortunately, koalas are also known for their constant danger of extinction, due to deforestation and the trade in their fur.
Why do koalas sleep so many hours?
Although some questionable reasons have been attributed, the truth is that these mammals spend between 20 and 22 hours a day sleeping due to their feeding strategy. Eucalyptus trees, their favorite food source, are the reason why koalas rest so many hours a day. This plant is rich in fiber, but does not provide significant amounts of energy.
Koalas inhabit the Australian coasts of the eastern and southern regions, where eucalyptus forests abound. It is important to clarify that they are one of the few animal species that can digest the toxins contained in this plant without much problem, although they can only assimilate 50 of the more than 600 variants of eucalyptus.
Thanks to their oxidative metabolism, koalas can digest eucalyptus leaves without being affected by the metabolites they contain. Their taste receptors help them identify other toxic compounds.
These herbivores sleep most of the day due to the large amount of fiber that their stomach must digest. Also, eucalyptus is rich in amounts of water, so koalas are rarely seen drinking water directly from a tributary. In general, larger males do need to consume water from the ground – or that which is stagnant in the logs.
On the other hand, females do not require more water than they manage to receive by choosing the leaves with the highest content, thanks to a gene in their taste buds. As a species in general, the remaining 2 or 4 hours of the day are used to feed, reproduce and satisfy their physiological needs.
How do koalas eat and sleep?
Being the eucalyptus trees their natural habitat, koalas eat by holding onto a branch and holding on with their hind legs and one front leg; with the remaining leg they tear off the leaves. Generally, they move near the thickest base of the tree and, although they do not expend much energy, they must feed frequently to maintain their fat stores.
In order not to expend more energy, koalas have developed behavior patterns to sleep and feed in the same tree. During the nights, it is more common for them to feed, as they spend the day sleeping on the thickest branches, where the temperature is lower. In the wet season, they roll into a ball so as not to lose energy.
At bedtime, koalas lie on their stomach or back, with their limbs extended in the air. They also like to rest with their back against a branch and hardly ever sleep on the ground, as they only go down to pass another tree, moving slowly on all 4 legs.
Reproduction and danger of extinction
Roaring and screaming are very common during their mating season, which runs from mid-May to late October. Males are quite territorial and rub their pectoral glands against trunks and branches. Females evaluate the dominant behavior of males through fighting, which can leave scars on their exposed parts.
After intercourse, the females begin gestation —which lasts between 30 and 35 days—, where they only give birth to one young. Like all marsupials, the calf is born embryonic and continues to develop in the marsupium until it is one year old. The long period is due to the low amount of milk that the mother manages to generate due to her herbivorous diet.
According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), this animal species is seriously affected by deforestation of its habitat, forest fires and the consequences of climate change. The koala is listed as Vulnerable (VU) and their numbers have been reduced due to the trade in its fur in the early 20th century.
As you could see, koalas are animals that sleep most of the day because of the diet that they have evolutionarily adopted and that their body has trouble processing. Currently, many environmental organizations fight for its conservation, so having a koala as a pet is totally prohibited in Australia and the rest of the world.
