Koalas: From Tiny Marsupials to Australia's Most Beloved Species

The koala is a beloved animal that is native to Australia and belongs to the marsupial family. The ancestors of koalas were small arboreal marsupials that lived in Australian forests over 30 million years ago. Over time, they evolved to become animals more adapted to their environment and diet, with strong claws and legs for climbing trees and a digestive system that could extract nutrients from eucalyptus leaves, their primary food source. In the early 1900s, koalas were hunted for their fur and meat, which led to a sharp decline in their population. They were declared a protected species in the 1920s, but habitat loss and diseases such as chlamydia remain major threats to their survival. Today, koalas are a popular tourist attraction in Australia and continue to capture the hearts of people around the world.