The koala ( Phascolarctos cinereus ) is an arboreal herbivorous marsupial native to Australia, and the only extant representative of the family Phascolarctidae.

The koala is not found in Tasmania, the Northern Territory or Western Australia.

Although the koala is not a bear, English-speaking settlers from the late 18th century first called it koala bear due to its similarity in appearance to bears.

Although taxonomically incorrect, the name koala bear is still in use today outside Australia – its use is discouraged because of the inaccuracy in the name.

A typical Victorian koala ( formerly P. cinereus victor ) has longer, thicker fur ; is a darker, softer grey, often with chocolate-brown highlights on the back and forearms ; and has a more prominently light-coloured ventral side and fluffy white ear tufts.

In tropical and sub-tropical Queensland, however, the koala is smaller ( at around for an average male and just over for an average female ); a lighter often rather scruffy grey in colour ; and has shorter, thinner fur.

A fourth variation, though not technically a subspecies, is the " golden koala ", which has a slight golden tinge to the fur as a result of an absence of the melanin pigment that produces albinism in most other mammalian species.

The koala is broadly similar in appearance to the wombat ( its closest living relative ), but has a thicker coat, much larger ears, and longer limbs.

The koala is one of the few mammals ( other than primates ) that have fingerprints.

The brain in the ancestors of the modern koala once filled the whole cranial cavity, but has become drastically reduced in the present species, a degeneration scientists suspect is an adaptation to a diet low in energy.

There is little reliable information about the lifespan of the koala, but in captivity they have been observed to reach the age of 18 years.

A baby koala is referred to as a joey and is hairless, blind, and earless.

About two-thirds of Australian marsupials belong to the order Diprotodontia, which is split into three suborders: the Vombatiformes ( wombats and the koala, 4 species in total ); the large and diverse Phalangeriformes ( the possums and gliders ) and Macropodiformes ( kangaroos, potoroos, wallabies and the musky rat-kangaroo ).

The park is noted for its caves, native bush and koala colonies.

At night the ringtail possum is often seen and to a lesser extent the short-nosed bandicoot, bush rat, brushtail possum, koala, tawny frogmouth and boobook owl may also be observed.

Diprotodontia (; diprotos, meaning " two front " and οδοντος odontos meaning " teeth ") is a large order of about 120 marsupial mammals including the kangaroos, wallabies, possums, koala, wombats, and many others.

Phascolarctidae ( Phasco-pouch or bag, larct-from the Greek ‘ arctos ’ meaning bear ) is a family of marsupials of the order Diprotodontia, consisting of only one extant species, the koala, six well-known fossil species, with another five less well known fossil species, and two fossil species of the genus Koobor, whose taxonomy is debatable but are placed in this group.

A new Australian Outback area is scheduled to open in early 2013 with improved koala exhibits, a care center with floor-to-ceiling windows for guests to see keepers taking care of the koalas, and later on exhibits for Tasmanian devils and Australian birds.

For example, the koala can live on the leaves and shoots of the eucalyptus, a plant that is dangerous to most animals.

The town is also known for its koala population, being the home to the Billabong Koala Park, and the Koala Preservation Society's Koala Hospital, caring for koalas injured through bushfire, dog attacks and collisions with vehicles.

The very long cecum of some herbivorous animals, such as found in the horse or the koala, supports this theory.

Twelve species are listed as threatened under the Threatened Species Conservation Act 1995 are found in the wilderness area consisting of: five mammals ( Brush-tailed Phascogale, Brush-tailed Rock Wallaby ( Petrogale penicillata ), koala, Squirrel Glider and Tiger Quoll ); four birds Glossy Black Cockatoo ( Calyptorhynchus lathami ), Greater Sooty Owl ( Tyto tenebricosa ), Superb Fruit-dove and Turquoise Parrot ; one reptile Morelia spilota variegata ( Carpet Python ); and two frogs ( Litoria piperata and Litoria subglandulosa ).

Baulkham Hills features a number of parks and reserves, such as the Bidjigal Reserve ( previously known as Excelsior Reserve ), with native fauna such as koala, swamp wallaby, echidna, and eastern water dragon.

Most koala populations on the mainland of Australia are affected by the chlamydia disease.

Zane Grey holding a koala during a visit to Australia in 1939

The European and scientific discovery of the koala in Australia was made at Mount Kembla and took place between June – August 1803 and involved type specimens collected and brought in to Sydney in August 1803 where they were immediately figured by botanical draughtsman Ferdinand Bauer ( 1760 – 1826 ) and described by noted botanist Robert Brown ( 1773 – 1858 ).

In 1984, the Tama Zoo in western Tokyo welcomed its first koala, and the government of Australia sent six koalas to Japan as a token of goodwill.

In 1984, the Tama Zoo in western Tokyo welcomed its first koala, and the government of Australia sent six koalas to Japan as a token of goodwill.

The camera zooms in on the koala, ending with a close-up of its eye, implying that America will face a similar fate to Australia.

* Sam ( koala ) ( died 2009 ), koala rescued after the 2009 bush fires in Victoria, Australia

The word koala comes from the Dharuk gula.

The origins of the koala are unclear, although almost certainly they descended from terrestrial wombat-like animals.

The applicant sought an injunction to restrain the respondents from using the name " Dundee " in association with a composite image " the koala image ".

" Compounding the problem, when his wife interjected that she " got to hold a koala bear ", Hart replied that " I won't tell you what I got to hold: samples from a toxic waste dump.

Other fossils have provided evidence of how the koala has evolved in response to Australia's change from predominant rainforest vegetation to drier eucalypt forests.

About to be devoured by lions, a toy koala fell from the sky ( unknown to him it was actually from a plane ) and scared the lions away, saving his life.

It depicts the adventures of a 12-year old girl named Sandy and her koala friends, Blinky and Pinky, who are from the extra-dimensional realm of Koalawalla Land.

Sandy gives the koala a Noozle ( another term for an Eskimo Kiss ) and it revives him from " magic sleepytime ".

The name is thought to come from an Aboriginal name for the koala.

They also export cocoa and koala nuts, using exploited migrant laborers ( mostly from Burkina Faso ) on local plantations.

Morris supplied the voice of the koala in TV commercials for Qantas from 1967 through 1992 ( saying the tagline, " I hate Qantas ").

What distinguishes the system of the digestive system of the common ringtail possum from that of the koala and the greater glider, is the caecal content transfers directly back to the stomach.

Following its initial discovery, some subfossil remains of Megaladapis grandidieri ( a type of extinct koala lemur ) were mistakenly associated with Archaeoindris, while smaller leg bones from a juvenile and a massive adult leg bone were erroneously assumed to belong to two separate species.