In the wild, the koala is found only in:

The koala is native to Australia and is found in the wild only in eastern and south-eastern Australia.

About the koala:

Its scientific name is "Phascolarctos cinereus".

Although often called the "koala bear", it is not a bear. It is a marsupial, an animal whose young are born very small and develop in the mother's pouch.

A newborn koala, called a "joey", is about the size of a jelly bean. It lives in its mother's pouch for about six months.

It lives in eucalyptus forests and woodlands of Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia.

It feeds almost only on eucalyptus leaves, which are low in nutrients and poisonous to most animals. Koalas have special gut bacteria to digest them.

Because its diet gives little energy, it sleeps or rests for about 18-22 hours a day.

The name "koala" is believed to come from an Aboriginal word meaning "no water", because koalas get most of their water from leaves.

It has fingerprints very similar to human fingerprints.

Conservation status:

• In 2022, the Australian government listed koalas in Queensland, New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory as "Endangered".
• Threats include loss of habitat due to land clearing, bushfires (the 2019-2020 bushfires killed many koalas), drought, disease (chlamydia), dog attacks and road accidents.

Other marsupials of Australia:

• Kangaroo: the national animal of Australia (along with the emu on the coat of arms).
• Wallaby, wombat, Tasmanian devil, possum and quokka.
• Australia also has two egg-laying mammals ("monotremes"): the platypus and the echidna.

About Australia:

• It is the smallest continent and the sixth-largest country by area.
• Its capital is Canberra, and its largest city is Sydney.
• It is called the "Land of Kangaroos" and the "Island Continent".
• India and Australia are members of the Quad, and signed the "Economic Cooperation and Trade Agreement" (ECTA) in 2022.

Animals unique to other regions:

• New Zealand: kiwi (flightless bird) and tuatara.
• Madagascar: lemurs.
• South America: sloths, anteaters and llamas.
• China: giant panda.

Why not the other options?

• ✗New Zealand has no native land mammals except bats; it is famous for the kiwi bird.
• ✗South Africa has animals such as lions, giraffes and springboks, but no koalas.
• ✗Indonesia has orangutans and Komodo dragons, but no koalas.