Despite there being over 700 species of Eucalyptus trees in Australia, koalas will only feed on leaves from about 40 of these species.
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Can koalas eat any type of eucalyptus leaves?
| Main koala food trees | |
|---|---|
| Primary food tree species | |
| E. macrorhyncha | Narrow-leaved stringybark E. sparsifolia |
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What eucalyptus is best for koalas?
In our experience, koalas eat most of the gum-trees that live in an area, to a lesser or greater degree. In and around the You Yangs, where we’ve been conducting research since 2006, we’ve discovered that koalas’ favourite eucalypt is the River Red Gum Eucalyptus camaldulensis.
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Can koalas eat anything besides eucalyptus?
Yes, koalas eat eucalyptus leaves (see the Resources Page for lists), but KoalaTracker members are observing koalas eating a far broader diet, including the leaves of camphor laurel, macadamia and olive trees, bark, flowers, termites and apples.
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Is eucalyptus plant safe for Koalas?
Koalas survive on stringy eucalyptus leaves, which are filled with toxic molecules that render the plant inedible to basically every other living thing. Koalas, though, evolved the ability to flush the toxins out quickly, so they can eat their way through pounds of leaves each day without getting sick.
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What is in eucalyptus that makes Koalas high?
Despite the rumours, koalas don’t ‘get high’ or ‘drugged out’ on eucalyptus leaves. It’s because the leaves are so low in nutrients that koalas need more sleep than most animals which basically helps them conserve energy.
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Are koalas the only animal that can eat eucalyptus leaves?
The Koala is the only mammal, other than the Greater Glider and Ringtail Possum, which can survive on a diet of eucalyptus leaves. Eucalyptus leaves are very fibrous and low in nutrition, and to most animals are extremely poisonous.
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Can you feed koalas something else?
No. Koalas can eat nothing but Eucalyptus leaves. They would starve without them. It is not that there is something in their leaves that they need, but they evolved to tolerate the Eucalyptus’ otherwise toxic components, through a time when no other food was available.
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Can koalas eat any type of eucalyptus they want?
| Botanical Name | Common Name |
|---|---|
| Eucalyptus melliodora | Yellow Box |
| Eucalyptus nicholii | Willow Peppermint |
| Eucalyptus obliqua | Messmate |
| Eucalyptus ovata | Swamp Gum |
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Can koalas eat lettuce?
Koalas eat only eucalyptus. There are about 200 kinds of eucalyptus found in the world, but Koalas eat only about 12 kinds. They are herbivores, which means that they will only eat plants and vegetables. A bowl of lettuce and tomatoes would not appeal to a Koala, being they are very picky eaters.
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Can koalas eat anything other than eucalyptus leaves?
Diet. Koalas eat a variety of eucalypt leaves and a few other related tree species, including lophostemon, melaleuca and corymbia species (such as brush box, paperbark and bloodwood trees).
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Will koalas eat picked leaves?
These creatures are famously known for being very picky eaters. And what they pick are eucalyptus leaves. Because these have high water content, most koalas meet their water requirements by simply dining on the leaves. Surprisingly, eucalyptus leaves are poisonous to most animals and humans.
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Can any other animal eat eucalyptus leaves?
In fact, among all mammals, only the koala and three other marsupials (brushtail possum, common ringtail possum, and greater glider) are known to consume Eucalyptus foliage.
