Facts about Koala Diet

1. 06

   Despite their selective feeding, koalas consume leaves from only a small number of eucalyptus species out of the hundreds that exist.

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2. 05

   Specialized liver enzymes allow koalas to break down and excrete the toxic terpenes present in eucalyptus leaves that would harm other animals.

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3. 04

   Eucalyptus leaves are so low in nutrition and high in toxins that koalas must carefully select specific species and even individual trees to eat.

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4. 03

   A koala's digestive system includes a remarkably long cecum, which helps detoxify the poisonous phenolic compounds found in eucalyptus leaves.

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5. 02

   Koalas sleep up to 22 hours per day, a behavior directly linked to their diet, as eucalyptus leaves provide very little energy.

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6. 01

   The koala diet consists almost exclusively of eucalyptus leaves, which are toxic to most other mammals but safely digested by koalas.

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