Koalas are arboreal marsupials. Their fur is dense, grey and uniform. Female koalas with young or recently weaned young may have patchy fur loss and dark grey or brown patches around the shoulder region. Their abdomen are slightly pot-bellied due to their high fiber diet. A healthy koala is bright, alert and responsive to disturbances. Their ears will become erect when they are on alert. They have razor sharp claws and will cause serious injuries. They will also bite very hard. They will defend themselves by lashing out very quickly without much warning. They will spend the night in a different tree every night. An ill or injured koala will mask their illness very well. They are mostly solitary animals.
Reproduction Koalas mate from August through January. Most young are born over the summer months. Gestation is 34-36 days. A baby koala is known as a joey. After being born, the joey will make it's way to his/her mother's pouch where it will stay until s/he is 5.5 - 6 months of age. At this time they will spend more and more time out of the pouch after being nursed. At around 8 - 8.5 months of age, they become too big to be in the pouch. At this point in time they will spend a lot of time holding onto their mother's back, they are known as "back young" during this time. When they are a year old they will become more independent from their mothers and moving aorund on their own. Complete indepence from thier mother is achieved by 18 months of age.