Phascolarctidae Gallery

Portrait of mother koala cuddling her sleeping baby in a tree

A close up colour portrait of a mother koala cuddling her sleeping offsptring while grasping onto a tree branch. This image was shot while filming Koalas - The Bare Facts 1990: If you think koalas are cute and cuddly, sit in trees all day and don't have a care in the world, this fascinating documentary will surprise you.
It reveals some intriguing aspects of this famous Australian that is not a bear at all. It provides a close-up look at some of this animal's behaviour both in the wild and now in the suburbs that have increasingly taken over its habitat

© NFSAA. All Rights Reserved.

A baby koala named Cooee is held by its mother at Sydneys Taronga Zoo

A baby koala named Cooee is held by it's mother at Sydney's Taronga Zoo July 26, 2004. A report into the dangerous levels of koalas present on Kangaroo Island, located south of the South Australian city of Adelaide, will be released by the Australian Koala Foundation on Wednesday, with the culling of the colony one of the issues to be discussed. NO RIGHTS CLEARANCES OR PERMISSIONS ARE REQUIRED FOR THIS IMAGE REUTERS/David Gray DG/CP - RP5DRHYSOEAB

Large, wild male Koala hanging in eucalyptus tree, Magnetic Island

Koalas are portrayed as cute and cuddly animals, however wild koalas should not be handled or approached. They have large sharp claws for climbing trees and can attack if handled. Koalas have been associated in popular culture to the modern myth or hoax of the Drop Bear. The Drop Bear is described as a large, predatory marsupial related to the Koala that attacks by dropping on people as they walk below. Magnetic Island is 5 km offshore from Townsville in North Queensland. It has a large and healthy wild Koala population. Photograph was taken on the Forts walk which is a good area for spotting wild Koalas. Koalas are an herbivorous marsupial and spend most of their life in eucalyptus trees sleeping and eating. They are often found slouched in tree branches

© Andrew Merry