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Koala: Animals
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The name koala is believed to have originated from Aboriginal dialect names for the animal, which include cullewine, koolewong, colo, colah, and koolah. One suggested translation for these Aboriginal names is "no water," referring to the koala's ability to largely subsist on moisture from leaves.
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NOTE: The koala's closest living relative is the wombat, which is a stationary burrower rather than a nomadic arboreal like the koala. One clue to this relationship is the common design of the pouch, which opens to the rear in both animals.
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The eucalyptus leaf contains most of the water that the koala needs. It is commonly claimed that this attribute gave the animal its name, supposedly from an Aboriginal word meaning "no drink"; ... this is not conclusively established.[Citation Needed]
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The closest relative of the koala is the wombat – both animals have pouches which open towards the rear. This is fine for the wombat, but koalas need strong muscles ringing the pouch to keep their young from falling out.
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The koala doesn't have that diverse of a diet. The only thing they eat are eucalyptus leaves. The eucalyptus leaf is quite poisonous to other animals, but the koala's digestive system is immune to it. The only thing is, if they eat more than 3 lbs. of leaves a day, they'll get indigestion.
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Large nose with sensitive hairs enables the koala to detect differences in smell between different eucalyptus leaves, ensuring that its diet consists of only the best of the bunch. Cheek pouches allow animal to store food not yet chewed while moving to a safer or more protected location.
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