On a sunny hot autumn afternoon, well camouflaged cute Koala bear stays out of the sun protected by gum tree foliage. It's awake though and its eye can be seen. Koalas have few natural predators and parasites, but are threatened by various pathogens

Please visit my YouTube, 500px & new Instagram & Facebook channels www.youtube.com/channel/UCt5wf3DvvWAqgUd9NMUItVw
500px.com/p/svive1?view=photos
www.instagram.com/viv_vivekananda/
www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61560235015998

The koala or, inaccurately, koala bear (Phascolarctos cinereus) is an arboreal herbivorous marsupial native to Australia. It is the only extant representative of the family Phascolarctidae and its closest living relatives are the wombats, which comprise the family Vombatidae. The koala is found in coastal areas of the mainland's eastern and southern regions, inhabiting Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, and South Australia. It is easily recognisable by its stout, tailless body and large head with round, fluffy ears and large, spoon-shaped nose. The koala has a body length of 60–85 cm and weighs 4–15 kg. Fur colour ranges from silver grey to chocolate brown. Koalas from the northern populations are typically smaller and lighter in colour than their counterparts further south. These populations possibly are separate subspecies, but this is disputed. Koalas typically inhabit open eucalypt woodlands, and the leaves of these trees make up most of their diet. Because this eucalypt diet has limited nutritional and caloric content, koalas are largely sedentary and sleep up to 20 hours a day. They are asocial animals, and bonding exists only between mothers and dependent offspring. Adult males communicate with loud bellows that intimidate rivals and attract mates. Males mark their presence with secretions from scent glands located on their chests. Being marsupials, koalas give birth to underdeveloped young that crawl into their mothers' pouches, where they stay for the first six to seven months of their lives. These young koalas, known as joeys, are fully weaned around a year old. Koalas have few natural predators and parasites, but are threatened by various pathogens, such as Chlamydiaceae bacteria and the koala retrovirus.
Eucalyptus is a genus of over seven hundred species of flowering trees, shrubs or mallees in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae. Along with several other genera in the tribe Eucalypteae, including Corymbia, they are commonly known as eucalypts. Plants in the genus Eucalyptus have bark that is either smooth, fibrous, hard or stringy, leaves with oil glands, and sepals and petals that are fused to form a cap or operculum over the stamens. The fruit is a woody capsule commonly referred to as a gumnut. Most species of Eucalyptus are native to Australia, and every state and territory has representative species. About three-quarters of Australian forests are eucalypt forests. Wildfire is a feature of the Australian landscape and many eucalypt species are adapted to fire, and resprout after fire or have seeds which survive fire. A few species are native to islands north of Australia and a smaller number are only found outside the continent. Eucalypts have been grown in plantations in many other countries because they are fast growing and have valuable timber, or can be used for pulpwood, for honey production or essential oils. In some countries, however, they have been removed because they are highly flammable. 58202

Taken in: Australia / ACT / Curtin (show map)

Taken on: April 15, 2021

Tags:

Phascolarctos cinereus

extant

koala

herbivorous

arboreal

marsupial

native

Eucalyptus

mallees

myrtle

Myrtaceae

nature

striking

scenic

canon 100-400L

autumn

April

2021

grey

white

black

brown

green

noon

alert

wildlife

animals

marsupials

popular

protected

endangered

beauty

variety

outside

environment

light

intelligence

movement

responsive

smart

adaptation

food chain

food web

agility

Viv Vivekananda

photography

Canberra

Curtin

Australian Capital Territory

Australia

https://www.flickr.com/photos/viv_vivekananda/

macro

https://www.fluidr.com/photos/viv_vivekananda

large

portrait

mature

cute

lovely

busy

adult

cool

bokeh

Australian Capital Territory zoo

canon 5D iv

sunny

hot

afternoon

camouflaged

sunlight

awake

foliage

gum tree

eye « less

Sets appears in: • autumn • April more » • 2021 • canon 5D Mark iv • canon 100-400mm L is ii • Australian Capital Territory zoo • eucalyptus (gum) tree • koala « less

Groups appears in: • Canon 100-400 IS II • Canon EOS 5D Mark IV DSLR

Camera: Canon EOS 5D Mark IV, f/5.6, 1/320 sec, 400mm, ISO 640 (more info) (hide info)

Camera:	Canon EOS 5D Mark IV
Lens:	EF100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM
Aperture:	f/5.6
Exposure Time:	0.003 sec (1/320)
Focal Length:	400mm
ISO:	640
Exposure Bias:	0 EV
Flash:	Off, Did not fire
Exposure Program:	Manual
Exposure Mode:	Manual
Metering Mode:	Multi-segment
White Balance:	Auto
Color Space:	sRGB
Software:	Adobe Photoshop Lightroom Classic 12.0.1 (Windows)
Show full info

Stats: 3,955 views / 28 comments