Danger of Extinction

When Europeans first saw koalas in Australia, they thought they were bears or monkeys. Mother koalas have pouches where their young stay until they grow up. Their forepaws are good at gripping on branches and picking eucalyptus leaves. It is their favourite food. They have an excellent sense of smell, and it helps them to find the best-tasting leaves. Because they eat only eucalyptus leaves, they move very slowly and sleep for 20 hours a day. They live in Australia. They live for 10-15 years, and they have only a few natural predators, including dingoes, large owls, eagles and goannas, but they are still in danger of extinction because eighty percent of their habitat was destroyed.