Posted by Flo | Posted in Divers | Posted on 22-01-2010
Tags: baby, clothes, new native baby pouch, shopping, sling, wrap
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Koala Stuffed Animal and All About The Real Thing
The koala stuffed animal ranks right up there as one of the most popular soft toys amongst what is an enormous variety from which to choose. While the koala stuffed animal is often mistaken for a bear, that couldn't be further from the truth.
While it's true the koala looks like a teddy bear, it's not a bear at all. Like kangaroos, they are marsupials which means they have a pouch where their young both feed and grow. They make their home in the trees where they spend the majority of their time feeding on eucalyptus leaves. They are a tailless animal and are about 24 inches in length. Koalas have large round ears and ash grey fur. On the toe of each foot, and on the first two fingers of each forepaw, are opposable digits.
The pouch found in the female koala, opens up right to the rear of their body, unlike in a kangaroo. The special muscles also found around the pouch opening are designed to close so a baby can be held inside; as the mother moves around, the baby is able to remain safe inside. Mums and their babies enjoy a very close relationship. Babies live in the mother's pouch for seven months and then ride on its mother's back for the next six months, even sleeping in this position. If ever separated from mum, the baby will cry loudly until the two are reunited.
A koalas day is mostly spent sleeping up high in eucalyptus trees. With its strong legs and sharp claws, it's able to cling to the trunk. It also uses its toes to hang on to the side of the tree. When moving trees, koalas will climb down from the one they're in first and then climb the trunk of another, preferably the one that's closest. If the trees are close together in a thick forest, they may also jump from one tree to another.
The name 'koala' means "no drink" in the native Australian language and it fits these unusual creatures given they rarely drink water. They are known for being very picky eaters, sometimes feeding on one eucalyptus leaf and passing up another. They will consume one to two pounds of [eucalyptus] leaves on a daily basis, being careful to avoid ones which are poisonous.
Like all plush toys, the koala stuffed animal is made up of soft, plush 'fur' making them conducive to lots of hugs. Unlike the real thing, which lives a solitary life, a koala stuffed animal prefers to spend all of its time with its owner so that it can live up to the role of perfect friend and comforter. Like the baby koala that cries when separated from its mother, the plush variety, won't take too kindly to being lost, misplaced, or even taken away for no reason at all. Once you own a koala stuffed animal, its yours for life.
Copyright Shelley Vassall, 2010. Contact the author to obtain permission for republication.
About the Author
Shelley Vassall is a writer and collector of the koala stuffed animal