Koallaby

Discovery LocationEastern Australia

Lead ResearcherS. Irwin

Field Report Summary

A physiological paradox, the Koallaby possesses the powerful hind legs of a wallaby but the metabolic rate of a koala. It spends 20 hours a day sleeping in eucalyptus forks, but often startles awake to perform erratic, high-velocity hops between branches. Its pouch opens backward to prevent leaves from falling in while it sleeps.

Physical Description

Small wallaby body with the grey fur, round ears, and nose of a koala.

Habitat

Eucalyptus Woodlands

Dietary Behavior

Folivore

Evolutionary Origin

Arboreal hopping adaptation

Behavioral Notes

Sleep-hops.