Koala Development: Difference between revisions
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* Females reach maturity at 2 to 3 years of age, males at 3 to 4 years, producing a single young (joey) each year for about 12 years. | * Females reach maturity at 2 to 3 years of age, males at 3 to 4 years, producing a single young (joey) each year for about 12 years. | ||
* Gestation is 35 days. | * Gestation is 35 days. | ||
* Born hairless, blind, and earless. At birth the joey | * Born hairless, blind, and earless. At birth the joey about 6 mm long, crawls into the downward-facing pouch on the mother's belly (which is closed by a drawstring-like muscle that the mother can tighten at will) and attaches itself to one of the two teats. | ||
* Young remain hidden in the pouch for about six months, only feeding on milk. During this time they grow ears, eyes, and fur. | * Young remain hidden in the pouch for about six months, only feeding on milk. During this time they grow ears, eyes, and fur. | ||
* The joey then begins to explore outside of the pouch. At about this stage it begins 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. | * The joey then begins to explore outside of the pouch. At about this stage it begins 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. |
Revision as of 16:39, 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
- Females reach maturity at 2 to 3 years of age, males at 3 to 4 years, producing a single young (joey) each year for about 12 years.
- Gestation is 35 days.
- Born hairless, blind, and earless. At birth the joey about 6 mm long, crawls into the downward-facing pouch on the mother's belly (which is closed by a drawstring-like muscle that the mother can tighten at will) and attaches itself to one of the two teats.
- Young remain hidden in the pouch for about six months, only feeding on milk. During this time they grow ears, eyes, and fur.
- The joey then begins to explore outside of the pouch. At about this stage it begins 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.
- The joey will remain with its mother for another six months or so, riding on her back, and feeding on both milk and eucalypt leaves until weaning is complete at about 12 months of age.
References
Reviews
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Articles
Books
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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