Queensland koala

« Though usually very calm, the koala becomes particularly active during the mating season. »

Totally adapted to its environment

The only animal to eat just one poisonous plant.

The koala, like the kangaroo and the Tasmanian devil, is one of the symbols of Australia. Do you know what these three species have in common? They are all marsupials, mammals that raise their young in a ventral pouch. But the koala has another peculiarity. It is the only animal in the world to eat eucalyptus leaves, a plant that is toxic to other animals! Its entire body is adapted for life in the eucalyptus forests; it has very muscular legs, sharp claws, and rough pads allowing it to grab onto tree trunks and branches.

Koala - Animaux extraordinaires du ZooParc

Did you know?

An adorable baby koala

The adorable little one from Genoa, soon to be 8 months old!
In koalas, gestation lasts about thirty days. When born, the baby goes to its mother’s pouch where it completes its development. Our little koala is starting to come out of the pocket entirely…

Beauval Nature is engaged in koala protection

Today, although the koala is not an endangered species, its future is still uncertain due to threats related to the expansion of human activities such as agriculture, collisions with cars, and fires that ravage the eucalyptus forests.

San Diego Zoo, with the support of the Beauval Nature association, has developed a koala conservation and research programme. This programme aims to study koala behaviour in the wild as well as in zoos, their distribution in the natural environment, and the development of certain diseases.

Find out about this programme

Koalas - Animaux extraordinaires du ZooParc

Genoa, the food lover

Like all koalas, Genoa spends a lot of time sleeping (up to 20 hours a day), but she also loves -above all - eating!

Genoa is the mother of two little ones born at ZooParc de Beauval.

She had her first baby girl, Wooli, in December 2019, a baby boy named Gowi Nee Bu in May 2021 and a baby girl in June 2024. And we hope to see more in the future…

Koalas news

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Learn more about the species

Range

Oceania

Diet

Herbivore
Gestation period

35 days, 6 to 8 months in the pouch
Litter size

1 young
Habitat

Forests, Savannahs

It’s in the bag

Koala gestation only lasts 35 days! But when the young koala is born, it is not quite ready to travel the world yet. It will spend nearly 6 to 8 months in its mother’s ventral pouch, whilst it continues its development. Inside this cosy little nest, it can feed easily without being exposed to predators.

An eventful reproduction

Though usually very calm, the koala becomes particularly active during the mating season. Calling to attract females, the male may travel long distances to meet the future mother of his offspring. He will also become extremely aggressive, towards any males that have the misfortune to cross his path, but also with the females with which he mates. For both male and female koalas, mating is often synonymous with injury due to deep bites or scratches.

A gourmet not easy to please

Although its diet is exclusively made up of eucalyptus, do not think that just any old leaf from any old tree will suffice for a koala. The koala only likes 120 of the 800 known species of eucalyptus and shows a real preference for only 5 to 10 of these species. In order to satisfy this choosy eater, zoological parks offer koalas many different species each day. Because of this, more food is given to Beauval’s koalas than is given to our largest carnivores!