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Koalas
mate between December and February, depending on location.
A single baby is born after a 35 day gestation period. It
is blind, hairless, and only 3/4 inch long. By instinct,
it drags itself into its mother’s pouch, which opens to
the rear instead of the front as with most other marsupials.
Inside the pouch, the baby koala feeds first on mother’s
milk, and later on half-digested food that is passed through
the mother’s rectum. After six months, the young koala leaves
the pouch and clings to its mother’s back, remaining with
her until the following mating season. It then moves to
another tree and lives independently for two to four years
until it is sexually mature.
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