The koala is the sleepiest animal I have ever seen–except for possibly the sloth. They sleep curled up in a ball in a eucalyptus tree most of the time. But they occasionally begin to yawn and stretch, and then they perk up and look around for a short time. A very short time! This koala had been relocated from its native home in eastern Australia to a national park in western Australian. The koala’s habitat has been encroached upon by development in the eastern areas and it’s existence is threatened, even though it is not officially listed as endangered. There are many Australians who love the koalas and others who are actively working to help them. However, there are a few who think of them similarly to the way some Americans see raccoons, a little pesky and not always nice.
An interesting fact from our tour of South America, Eucalyptus trees are a pest and especially in Cuzco. Imported from Australia in the early 20th century they took hold and became a successful invasive species.
I don’t know why my reply from several days ago didn’t go through, but I’ll redo. I did not know about the eucalyptus in South America. It’s sad when that happens. The world gets to be a bit of a mess. I saw African grasses choking out the native grasses in Australia. And then there is the cane toad problem there. I saw plenty of them hopping around 😊.
Great photo capture! Thank you for the info. 🙂
Thank you, Amy! And you are welcome 😊.