Apparently, all month long it's been Save the Koala Month, and I didn't even know it! But luckily there is a special Save the Koala Day near the end of the month, so I don't feel as if I TOTALLY missed it!
Koalas
aren't bears. They are marsupials, which means that, like kangaroos
and opossums, they have pouches in which very young babies are
protected as they drink milk and grow. They live mostly up in trees
(which makes them “arboreal,” or tree-dwellers), and they eat
leaves, leaves, and more leaves from the eucalyptus tree (which makes
them herbivores).
Unfortunately,
koalas were considered threatened by shrinking habitat—eucalyptus
forests being cut down as people build more and more houses and
cities—and last month the news got even worse: now koalas are
considered an endangered species. It's hard to imagine that this
adorable, beloved creature, important symbol of Australia (and Qantas
Airline), might go extinct—but people will have to do more to
protect koalas from habitat loss, dogs, disease, and even climate
change, if we are to still live in a world with koalas! |
| Stuffed koalas have been popular toys for years. |
- Wildlife Fun 4 Kids looks like a great resource, and it provides some great links to help you have fun on Save the Koala Day!
- National Geographic Kids offers info on koalas on its creature feature.
- Learn how to draw a koala here.
Also
on this date:
Thank you so much for linking to Wildlife Fun 4 kids and highlighting Save the Koala Month. Koalas are very close to my heart. I'm off to look around your blog. It feel very warm and freindly here!
ReplyDeleteThank you for doing the great stuff you do, Penny!
ReplyDelete