Изменение климата и потеря среды обитания угрожают выживанию коал в Австралии

Why do koalas sleep up to 22 hours every day? All about the surprising diet that leaves them too exhausted to stay awake for long Nancy Jaiswal | Jul 06, 2026, 07:12 IST Why do koalas spend almost the whole day asleep? The answer lies in the leaves they eat, the trees they live in and the way their bodies have adapted over time. Here's a simple explainer on why sleeping is one of the biggest survival tricks of a koala. Image credit : Indiatimes | The shocking truth behind a Koala's 20-hour sleeping habit If you have ever seen a koala, chances are it was sleeping. It almost looks as if the animal has forgotten to wake up. But there is a very good reason behind this habit. Koalas are not lazy. They are simply built to survive on one of the toughest diets in the animal world. Their long sleeping hours are part of a carefully balanced routine that helps them stay alive. According toNational Geographic , koalas usually sleep for 18 to 22 hours every day because the eucalyptus leaves they eat provide very little energy. Their digestive system also has to work extra hard to break down toxins found in the leaves while extracting whatever nutrients it can. Sleeping helps them save the little energy they get from their food. Most animals eat foods that provide enough energy to move around, search for food and stay active. Koalas are very different. They mainly eat eucalyptus leaves, which are low in nutrients and not packed with energy. Because these leaves do not provide much fuel, koalas have to eat a lot of them every day. They consume about five to ten per cent of their body weight in leaves daily. But even after eating so much, they still do not get enough energy to stay active for long. That is why they spend most of their day sleeping and resting instead of moving around. In a funny way, a koala's day follows a simple pattern. It sleeps to save energy. Then it wakes up to eat enough leaves so it has just enough energy to stay awake for a while before sleeping again. It may sound unusual, but for a koala, it works perfectly. Koalas do not just eat eucalyptus trees. They live in them too. Their entire life happens high above the ground. They sleep, eat, raise their babies and spend most of their time in trees. According toMongabay Kids , living in a eucalyptus tree is almost like living in an all-you-can-eat restaurant for a koala. The trees provide both food and shelter. This means koalas rarely need to come down unless they are moving to another tree or looking for water during difficult conditions. Living in trees also helps keep them away from many dangers on the ground. It is a lifestyle they have adapted to over thousands of years. You may think that a koala would happily eat leaves from any eucalyptus tree. That is not true at all. Koalas are surprisingly picky eaters. There are more than 600 species of eucalyptus trees, but koalas usually eat leaves from only about 30 of them. Scientists are still trying to understand why they avoid the others. Some leaves may not contain enough nutrients. Others may not taste good to koalas. Some could even have higher levels of toxins. This selective eating shows that even an animal with a limited diet knows exactly what works best for its body. Koalas are perfectly designed for climbing. They have soft paws and 18 sharp curved claws that help them grip tree trunks and branches. Each front paw has five claws while each foot has four claws, with no claw on the big toes. These strong claws allow koalas to move safely from branch to branch without slipping. Since almost their entire life is spent in trees, these climbing skills are essential for survival. Their tree-top lifestyle also means they do not waste unnecessary energy walking long distances. Everything they need is often within reach. Koalas may sleep a lot, but they are not silent all the time. During the breeding season, male koalas produce loud bellows that can echo through forests. The deep sounds help attract females while warning other males to stay away. Females can also make calls, although theirs are much quieter. Baby koalas, known as joeys, make soft squeaking sounds. A joey usually stays close to its mother for two or three years before finding its own tree. Koalas are also marsupials, which means females carry their young in a pouch. Even though many people think they look like bears, they are not bears at all and are only distantly related. One surprising fact about koalas is that they rarely drink water. The eucalyptus leaves they eat provide most of the moisture their bodies need. They can even store leaves inside their cheek pouches and chew them later. Since they eat so much eucalyptus every day, they often carry the smell of the leaves wherever they go. This is another clever way of saving energy. Instead of constantly searching for water, they get most of it from the food they already eat. Ironically, the very thing that helps koalas survive is becoming more difficult because of changes in their environment. Habitat loss, land clearing, logging and bushfires have destroyed large parts of the forests where koalas live. The devastating bushfire season of 2019–2020 caused major damage to many of their habitats. Climate change is making things even tougher. Rising carbon dioxide levels are reducing the nutritional quality of eucalyptus leaves. Longer droughts and hotter conditions also force koalas to leave the safety of their trees in search of water. This means they use more energy and face greater risks from predators. Koalas need large areas of healthy forest to survive. A single animal may depend on around a hundred trees, making shrinking forests a serious concern. Koalas are listed as vulnerable by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature. Protecting eucalyptus forests has become one of the biggest priorities for conservation groups. Several organisations, including Australia Zoo, are helping to buy land for koala habitats. New reserves are being created and campaigns encourage landowners not to cut down eucalyptus trees. Scientists are also studying koala genetics, health and breeding to better understand how to protect the species. These efforts are important because saving koalas means saving the forests they depend on every single day. Koalas do not sleep all day because they enjoy being lazy. They sleep because their favourite food gives them very little energy and takes a lot of effort to digest. Their long naps are a smart survival strategy that allows them to make the most of a challenging diet. Every part of a koala's life revolves around eucalyptus trees. They eat there, sleep there, raise their young there and spend almost their entire lives among the branches. Their story is a reminder that every animal has adapted in its own unique way. For koalas, sleeping is not a weakness. It is one of the smartest survival tools they have. According to A diet that gives very little energy Image credit : Wikimedia Commons | If you have ever seen a koala, chances are it was sleeping In a funny way, a koala's day follows a simple pattern. It sleeps to save energy. Then it wakes up to eat enough leaves so it has just enough energy to stay awake for a while before sleeping again. It may sound unusual, but for a koala, it works perfectly. Home is a eucalyptus tree According to Living in trees also helps keep them away from many dangers on the ground. It is a lifestyle they have adapted to over thousands of years. Not every eucalyptus tree makes the cut Image credit : PickPik | Koalas usually sleep for 18 to 22 hours every day This selective eating shows that even an animal with a limited diet knows exactly what works best for its body. Built for life in the trees These strong claws allow koalas to move safely from branch to branch without slipping. Since almost their entire life is spent in trees, these climbing skills are essential for survival. Their tree-top lifestyle also means they do not waste unnecessary energy walking long distances. Everything they need is often within reach. More than just sleepy animals Females can also make calls, although theirs are much quieter. Baby koalas, known as joeys, make soft squeaking sounds. A joey usually stays close to its mother for two or three years before finding its own tree. Koalas are also marsupials, which means females carry their young in a pouch. Even though many people think they look like bears, they are not bears at all and are only distantly related. They hardly drink water They can even store leaves inside their cheek pouches and chew them later. Since they eat so much eucalyptus every day, they often carry the smell of the leaves wherever they go. This is another clever way of saving energy. Instead of constantly searching for water, they get most of it from the food they already eat. Sleeping is becoming harder Habitat loss, land clearing, logging and bushfires have destroyed large parts of the forests where koalas live. The devastating bushfire season of 2019–2020 caused major damage to many of their habitats. Climate change is making things even tougher. Rising carbon dioxide levels are reducing the nutritional quality of eucalyptus leaves. Longer droughts and hotter conditions also force koalas to leave the safety of their trees in search of water. This means they use more energy and face greater risks from predators. Koalas need large areas of healthy forest to survive. A single animal may depend on around a hundred trees, making shrinking forests a serious concern. Why protecting forests matters Image credit : Flickr | Koalas do not just eat eucalyptus trees These efforts are important because saving koalas means saving the forests they depend on every single day. The actual reason Every part of a koala's life revolves around eucalyptus trees. They eat there, sleep there, raise their young there and spend almost their entire lives among the branches. Their story is a reminder that every animal has adapted in its own unique way. For koalas, sleeping is not a weakness. It is one of the smartest survival tools they have. Punjabi singer JUSS accused of copying BTS Jungkook's 'Seven' and '3D' By Karen Noronha Is social media selling an unrealistic housewife dream to young women? 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