"As you can imagine, they are very hard to get hold of." "I have looked at five normal animals and am in the process of looking at three scoliotic animals," she explained. These have died from dog attacks, car accidents or natural causes. Ms Milbourne has to date worked with dead animals provided by institutions such as Cleland Wildlife Park. "A sitting koala tends to put all the pressure on its sacrum." "Gravity acts very differently on horizontal and vertical spines," said Ms Milbourne. Koalas walk on all four legs but they spend at least 19 hours a day sitting upright in trees leaning against branches. The scoliosis affecting koalas is called 'idiopathic' scoliosis, meaning the cause is unknown. Scoliosis is the medical term for curvature of the spine.
It's as though the animal has been snapped by bending its head down to its feet." "The bends to their spine are not subtle curves, like in human scoliosis, rather sharp bends. "Koalas are the only animals that are known to have scoliosis, other than humans," said Ms Milbourne. The Royal Zoological Society of South Australia has also provided funding for the research. Ms Emily Milbourne is studying scoliosis in koalas as her honours project for a Bachelor of Science at Adelaide University. Koalas give birth in the middle of the summer, which means December or January on the Australian continent.A research student in Adelaide is providing the world's first information about a spinal problem in the koala. The estrous cycle of the female Koala extends for roughly 27-30 days and the gestation period consists of 25-35 days. The female Koalas are seasonally polyestrous and typically produce offspring once a year. The ears are fringed with elongated white hairs.īoth male and female Koalas become sexually mature when they are around two years old, but the males are typically forced to refrain from mating until they grow older and bigger since the must be able to successfully compete with other males. There are also distinct white parts on the chin, chest and inner side of the Koala's forelimbs. The main body is grey, brown or brownish-grey on top and white patches on the rump are common in southern as well as northern Koalas. In the northern Koalas, the coat tends to be a little shorter and lighter. The Koala fur is dense and woolly and coloration varies depending on geographical location. The second and third digit of the hind feet are small. If you look at the first digit of the hind foot, you can see how it is short and much broadened. The Koala can grip branches and is a skilled climber tanks to its forepaws where the first and second digits oppose the rest. Both fore and hind feet feature five strongly clawed digits. The female Koala has two mammae and is equipped with a characteristic pouch that opens to the rear of the animal. His ears are also smaller and he has a big chest gland. In addition to being larger and heavier, the male Koala has a broader face than the female Koala. Koala bear facts # 4 – Other physical characteristics The other Koalas average at 6.5 kilograms and 5.1 kilograms respectively. The average weight for the southern living Koala is 11.8 for males and 7.9 for females. Females from this region stay around 72 centimetres. The southern living Koalas tend to be bigger than the other Koalas, and southern males average at 78 centimetres in length. The male Koala is larger than the female Koala, and the animals’ size is also affected by geographical location. The koalas depend on Eucalyptus for food and shelter, and can only be found in Eucalyptus forests located below 600 metres. The koala bear is an arboreal animal, which means that it spends most of it life in the trees. Today, they have also been introduced to Western Australia and nearby islands. Koala bears are native to the Australian continent where they traditionally inhabit a region that stretches from northern Queensland to south-western Victoria. Koala bear facts # 2 – Geographic range and habitat It belongs to the order Diprotodontia where you can find kangaroos, possums, wallabies and other similar mammals. It is the only known living member of the genus Phascolarctos and family Phascolarctidae. The scientific name for this species is Phascolarctos cinereus. Koala bear fact # 1 – Scientific classification
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