At the first sight, they may seem not funny, uninteresting and even too plain. But when you look at them, touch them – you will understand – they are amazing! So cute, so soft. They are typical representatives of Australia and thus, they have three names: Wallaroo, Wallaby or a Kangaroo. Actually, it is their types, but who pays attention to them. Just Kangaroos!

So, first of all, some facts about kangaroos. Wallaroos are the only animals with vertebrae that can weigh more than 5 kilos. They have funny limbs, huge ears and large tail. Kangaroos are not easy-going and social animals; they prefer company of their own. Wallabies are going everywhere and doing their things mainly at night. But while going somewhere, they prefer doing it together in groups. Sometimes, when it is a drought or heat is unbearable, they don’t need any water, they can get it from the food, unless it has some water. Wallaroos are fast travelers – they can develop speed up to 30 miles per hour. Long tail is used to keep balance, while running.

Despite their strong, powerful constitution and independent behavior, they are very vulnerable. Some species are even endangered. They eat grass and can’t hurt people. Female kangaroos are   caring mothers, which carries her child in a special pouch. By the way, newborns are called a “joeys”.

You know there are some bad people, Kangaroo-hunters. They are looking for Wallaroos because if their meat. I can’t understand such people, how they can be so cruel? Kangaroo’s lifespan is rather short: up to nine tears in natural conditions, I mean in wild (various savannas and plains). Sometimes, there are even blind Wallaroos. Blindness is not a common disease, but the first case was reported in 1994, since than we know Kangaroos can be blind.

In Australia there are special road signs for drivers, warning them to be careful while driving, Kangaroos are crossing the road!

Go to Australia for visit a inhabitant of this territory. Everyone know beyond doubt who is. Yes of cause, it is koala. Koalas aren’t bears as many people are led to believe. They aren’t even related to bears. The koala is related to the kangaroo and the wombat. The koala is a mammal. The reason the koala is called a koala bear is because the koala looks like a teddy bear. The koala’s scientific name is Phasclarctos cinereus.

Today koalas live only in eastern Australia. Once millions roamed many areas of the country. By the early 1900s, hunters had shot most of them for their fur. Killing koalas is now illegal, but the koala population continues to decrease as houses and other development take over their habitat.

The koala is well suited to life in the trees. The koala has an excellent sense of balance and its body is lean and muscular and its quite long, strong limbs support its weight when climbing. The arms and legs are nearly equal in length and the koala’s climbing strength comes from the thigh muscle joining the shin much lower than in other animals.

The fur on the koala’s bottom is densely packed to provide a ‘cushion’ for the hard branches it sits on, and has a ‘speckled’ appearance which makes koalas hard to spot from the ground.

An adult male koala can weigh between 8 and 14 kilograms and a female between 6 and 11 kilograms.

The koala’s nose is one of its most important features, and it has a very highly developed sense of smell. This is necessary to differentiate between types of gum leaves and to detect whether the leaves are poisonous or not. The koala’s digestive system is especially adapted to detoxify the poisonous chemicals in the leaves.

Koala seldom drinks water obtaining it from the eucalyptus leaves, which are 50% consisting of water. Although, they can drink water if due to drought the leaves water content is reduced.

Koalas consume eucalyptus leaves and bark from 12 different eucalyptus tree species. They also consume mistletoe and box leaves.

Each koala eats approximately 200 to 500 grams of leaves per day.

The young koala drinks only mother’s milk for the first six to seven months.

At about 30 weeks, it begins to feed upon a substance called “pap” which the mother produces in addition to milk. Pap is a specialized form of droppings, which forms an important part of the young koala’s diet, allowing it to make the transition from milk to eucalyptus leaves.

Pap is soft and runny. It allows the mother to pass on micro-organisms from her digestive system.

Koalas live in societies, just like humans, so they need to be able to come into contact with other koalas. It is because of this they need to have areas of suitable eucalypt forest which are large enough to support a healthy koala population and to allow for expansion by maturing young koalas. Koalas are highly territorial and in stable breeding groups, individual members of koala society maintain their own “home range” areas.