Koala Development: Difference between revisions
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[[File:Koala fetus.jpg|thumb|Koala fetus near birth.]] | [[File:Koala fetus.jpg|thumb|Koala fetus near birth.]] | ||
* Adults - females reach maturity at 2 to 3 years of age, males at 3 | * Adults - females reach maturity at 2 to 3 years of age, males at about 3 years of age.<ref><pubmed>9543340</pubmed></ref> | ||
* Joey - a single young produced each year for about 12 years. | * Joey - a single young produced each year for about 12 years. | ||
* Gestation - approximately 35 days, born under-developed (hairless, blind, and earless). There is a report of extended gestation.<ref><pubmed>11943495</pubmed></ref> | * Gestation - approximately 35 days, born under-developed (hairless, blind, and earless). There is a report of extended gestation.<ref><pubmed>11943495</pubmed></ref> |
Revision as of 16:54, 1 December 2010
Introduction
The koala (Phascolarctos cinereus) is an arboreal herbivorous marsupial native to Australia, and the only extant representative of the family Phascolarctidae.
(Greek, phaskolos = "pouch" and arktos = "bear"; Latin, cinereus = "ash-coloured")
Koala comes from the Dharuk gula, the word is erroneously said to mean "doesn't drink"
Some Recent Findings
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Taxon
Taxonomy ID: 38626
Genbank common name: koala Inherited blast name: marsupials
Rank: species
Genetic code: Translation table 1 (Standard)
Mitochondrial genetic code: Translation table 2 (Vertebrate Mitochondrial)
Lineage ( full ) cellular organisms; Eukaryota; Fungi/Metazoa group; Metazoa; Eumetazoa; Bilateria; Coelomata; Deuterostomia; Chordata; Craniata; Vertebrata; Gnathostomata; Teleostomi; Euteleostomi; Sarcopterygii; Tetrapoda; Amniota; Mammalia; Theria; Metatheria; Diprotodontia; Phascolarctidae; Phascolarctos
Development Overview
- Adults - females reach maturity at 2 to 3 years of age, males at about 3 years of age.[4]
- Joey - a single young produced each year for about 12 years.
- Gestation - approximately 35 days, born under-developed (hairless, blind, and earless). There is a report of extended gestation.[5]
- Birth - joey about 6 mm long crawls into the the mother's downward-facing pouch.
- Pouch Development - joey remain in the pouch for about 6 months attached to one of the two available teats and feeding on milk, complete development.
- Outside of the pouch - joey then begins to explore and to consume small quantities of the mother’s "pap" (thought to come from the mother's cecum) in order to inoculate its gut with the microbes necessary to digest eucalypt leaves.
- Joey will remain with its mother for about another 6 months, riding on her back, and feeding on both milk and eucalypt leaves until weaning is complete at about 12 months of age.
References
Reviews
<pubmed></pubmed>
Articles
Books
Search PubMed
Note searches using the term "Koala" will also find papers that refer to the KOALA Birth Cohort Study, a European study not related to the Australian animal.
Search Nov 2010 "Koala development" 41 reference articles of which 0 were reviews.
Search PubMed: Phascolarctos cinereus | Koala development | marsupial development