The species Phascolarctos cinereus, more commonly known as the koala, is a very
             unique and unusual animal. Although it is commonly thought of as a bear, the koala is actually a
             marsupial, one of the three groups of mammals, and is more closely related to the bandicoot and
             the American opossum than any species of bear (Smith and Harman, 1997). The koala is almost
             exclusively known to most people as the cute and furry animal residing throughout the continent
             of Australia. Although this is true for the most part, the koala is a much more intriguing animal.
             A turbulent journey from pre-history through today's struggle to coexist with human neighbors,
             very distinct mating rituals and reproductive habits, and most importantly, the destruction of their
             very precise habitat and the consequences this has for the existence of the koala species, are
             Before the history of koalas is discussed in depth, a physical description of the koala is in
             order. Koalas, as mentioned before, are marsupials, the female having a pouch in which their
             young develop. Their pouch faces the rear and has a drawstring type muscle that the mother
             can tighten. Koalas are solitary animals, meeting only for mating purposes. Koalas are the only
             members of their family due to evolutionary patterns and extinction. (Phillips,1994) The koala
             averages between 680 and 820 millimeters in lenght from head to tail, males generally being
             more lenghty than females. They typically weigh between 4.9 and 14.9 kilograms, males
             weighing more than females and as a result of climate differences in regions, koalas from the
             north are smaller in length and weight than koalas from the south (Smith and Harman, 1997).
             Koalas are an arboreal animal, meaning they live in trees; they have a thick coat of wooly fur
             and are generally grey with a white underside and white speckles on the rump (Strahan, 1995).
             Biologically koalas are very unique as ...