Today is International Wild Koala Day!

Today is International Wild Koala Day - a day to celebrate koalas. These wonderful animals are instantly recognizable and much loved around the world, so let's look at a few fun facts about them - they are one of the animals in my book, Blue Dragons, Red Pandas, Hoopoes & More, which you are able to find at this link. Did you know . . .    

• They may look like bears, but Koalas are actually marsupials with a pouch similar to kangaroos; except Koalas’ pouches point down and open from the bottom.
• Koala fur looks soft and fluffy, but more closely resembles sheep wool.
• This fluffy-looking, little “not bear” loves to spend its time sleeping in the branches of eucalyptus trees, it does so 18-22 hours a day.
• Koalas have two opposable thumbs on each of their front paws to help them climb, hold on to tree branches, eat, and sleep in trees.
• They have fingerprints – which are hard to tell from people’s fingerprints and have even been confused at crime scenes!    
• Eucalyptus leaves, which Koalas eat, are poisonous to most animals, but God designed them with a special bacterium in their digestive tract which breaks down the poison and allows them to eat without being harmed.

Koalas are a very wonderful and unique animal and so, if you would like to celebrate them today on International Wild Koala Day with the children you love, check this link for ideas on ways to celebrate!