Animals that start with K

Looking for a fun way to learn about koalas? Our koala facts for kids are full of entertaining information about these lovable creatures. Join Albert as he explores amazing koala facts for toddlers, preschoolers and kindergartners. Click on the images to hear silly sounds and then read about koala elephant facts like what do koalas look like?, what sound do koalas make?, how big are koalas?, what do koalas eat?, where do koalas live?, and more fun facts about koalas for kids!

What do koalas look like?

Koalas are mammals. This means that they are warm-blooded, feed their babies milk and are covered in fur.

Koalas look a little bit like teddy bears. They are gray in color. They have large, tufty ears, a round black nose and soft, cuddly fur.

They are often found in trees, clinging onto the branches and trunks.

Click the the image to hear the sound!

Male koalas can make loud bellows. When they breathe in to bellow, they snore and when they breathe out they make a growling sound.

Koalas are 24-33 inches (60-85 centimeters) long. That’s a similar size to a large toy teddy bear.

They weigh up to 33 pounds (15 kilograms). That’s much heavier than a large toy teddy bear!

Koalas only eat leaves from a special type of tree called a eucalyptus tree.

Koala bears only live in Australia.

Because they eat and sleep in trees, koalas live in forests. They can be found near coastal regions as well as further inland.

Koalas have 5 fingers on their hands but 2 of these are more like thumbs. This helps them to grip branches. Imagine if you had 2 thumbs!
Koalas can spend up to 19 hours a day sleeping. You, probably, sleep for about 10 hours at night.
The word koala means no water. This was the name given to koala bears by the Aborigines in Australia. They named them this because koalas never drink any water. They get all the water they need from the eucalyptus leaves they eat.
Koalas belong to a special kind of mammal called a marsupial. This means that the babies are born very tiny and continue growing inside a pouch on their mom’s tummy. This is like a little pocket where the baby can drink milk and continue to grow until it’s big enough to climb out.
The eucalyptus leaves that the koala eats have a lot of toxins in them. Luckily for the koala, it has a special area in its digestive system (cecum) which has lots and lots of bacteria. These bacteria help the koala by getting rid of the toxins.
Baby koalas are weaned onto a diet of their mother’s poo! How disgusting is that?!
When baby koalas are big enough and strong enough to climb out of the pouch, they cling onto their mother’s back. Has your mom or dad ever given you a piggyback? Koala’s have piggybacks until they are nearly a year old.