The Koala is one of Australia's best known animals and is found only in Australia. It is an Australian icon – people recognize, love and adore these cuddly creatures all over the world.

Koalas are often referred to as a Koala bear, because they look like a cute fluffy teddy bear. However Koalas are not bears. They are Marsupials, which means that they carry their young in a pouch. The koala's closest relative is the wombat – they both have backward-facing pouch.

The name Koala comes from an Aboriginal word. It means "no drink", as Koalas get enough fluids through the eucalyptus leaves they feed on. Koalas are found all over east Australia, mainly in the south east.

In 1816, the koala was given its scientific name, phascolarctos cinereus, meaning 'ash gray pouched bear'.

Koalas are nocturnal. That means they sleep most of the day and are most active at night. They are very placid animals, and do not move around much, they are only active for about 2 hours of the day. A Koala spends 75% of its life sleeping.

Koalas have two thumbs on their front paws - to help them climb, to hold onto the tree and to grip their food.

When koalas are born, they are only 2 cm long, which is about as big as a jellybean! A Koala's baby is called a 'Joey'.

Koalas do not live in rainforests or desert areas. They live in tall eucalypt forests and low eucalypt woodlands. There are about 600 varieties of eucalypts, but Koalas eat only about 120 of these. Koalas in a specific area would prefer to eat only about 4-6 different types.

Between 1908 and 1927 over 2 million koalas were hunted and killed for their fur. Today, although Koala is not officially an endangered animal, their population is shrinking, due to the destruction of their natural habitat. When purchasing our cuddly Australian made soft toys you are helping to save Australia’s wild koalas and their habitat, as we make regular contributions to the preservation of the Australian wild animals.

The kangaroo is the symbol of Australia and the largest marsupial. It is widespread over the mainland. It lives on grasses, and often lives in quite big mobs. It can leap up to five metres long in a jump and so is quite fast over short distances to escape danger. They may hop 48 km per hour.
Hopping appears to be more energy-efficient than running. The faster kangaroos hop, the less energy they use for the same distance. When scientists put kangaroos on treadmills, they discovered that kangaroos maintain a constant number of hops per minute. Regardless of how much the treadmill speeds up, they simply take longer and longer hops.

Baby kangaroos are called Joeys. At birth a joey can be up to 2.5 cm long. The young develop in their mother's pouch. Joeys stay in their pouch until they are 6-8 months old.

Carrying the baby in the pouch is convenient for the female, who may travel many miles for fresh food and water. The youngster stands a greater chance of survival because it does not have to keep up with her. The baby is tucked away, safe from predators.

The wombat lives in the forest and bushland areas of Australia. It has very strong claws and muscular thick legs to help in its digging. It has no natural enemies and can even survive smaller bush fires in its underground burrow. There are three main varieties, the common wombat, the Southern Hairy nosed wombat and the Northern hairy nosed wombat. The latter is very nearly extinct.

Their diet consists of roots, shoots and leaves. They emerge in late afternoon for scavenging in the evening and throughout the night. During the day they return to their burrows and go to sleep sometimes lying on their backs with their four feet sticking up in the air!

They actually make nice little pets that can live under the house, although they are not compatible with gardens. These wild animals are also not afraid of humans, and have often been found in national park camping grounds living in the bushes next to camp sites.

The platypus is found in eastern Australia. They live aside freshwater rivers or lakes, and create burrows for shelter and protection. They are active mainly at nighttime hours, and use their webbed feet for swimming. When swimming the platypus has its eyes shut. They swim underwater for 2 minutes, before returning to the surface for oxygen. They can however stay underwater for up to 10 minutes, and due to their natural buoyancy, they need to be underneath another object to do this.

The Platypus has a wooly furred coat and range from 30cm to 45cms in length and the tail about 10 to 15 cm. The wooly furred coat actually has three different layers. The first layer keeps the animal warm, by trapping air, the second layer which provides an insulating coat for the animal, and lastly the third layer of long flat hairs to detect objects close by. These creatures weight on average between 1 to 2.4 kilograms. They have an average lifespan of 12 years.

If you thought this was a cute and cuddly Australian animal, well, you are only half correct. The male platypus have a hollow spur about 15 milimetres in length on the inside of both hind legs. This in turn is connected to a venom gland, and the platypus uses this spur to defend itself against predators.