 of their time sleeping. They are more lethargic even than sloths, which sleep as much as cats do. You would be hard-pressed to find a teenage boy on a weekend who sleeps as much as koalas do.
Imagine what would happen if cats had thumbs. They would be able to terrorize their owners and quickly take over the world! However, though not as cunning as cats, koalas might be harboring the same plans for world domination. Opposable thumbs are great. Humanity owes a lot of its functionality and accessibility to this finger joint’s pivoting ability, and without it, we would be constrained. However, koalas have one-upped us all! They do have thumbs, unlike our feline friends. They have two on their front paws! Not only are their thumbs opposable, but they have sharp claws on the ends.
Koalas use their two opposable thumbs on each paw to climb about the eucalyptus trees. Along their journey, they will munch on the leaves as they go. Their feet are pretty unique too. They have two toes on each of their back paws that are fused. This default comb is what allows them to groom their fur and maintain an immaculate appearance successfully. If they were just a little bit cleverer, then they might be able to take over the world. Let’s hope that they don’t get into cahoots with cats because then their plans very well might succeed.
28. Koalas Don’t Get Drunk, Because They Don’t Drink Anything
There is a common myth about koalas that they sleep so much because they are continually getting drunk off of the eucalyptus leaves that they eat. However, koalas don’t get drunk, or high, or anything else related to their diet. They are pretty much incapable of getting high or drunk. Koalas don’t drink anything! The name “koala” comes from the Aboriginal word that means “no drink.” Moreover, they are impervious to the toxic effects of the eucalyptus leaves. They don’t do much of anything except eat eucalyptus leaves and sleep. However, you might be wondering how they can survive without water.
Scientists have solved a long lingering mystery about koala behavior. It involves how these tree-dwelling animals that are native to Australia consume enough water to live. One study suggests that they lick the water running down the smooth surface of tree trunks during rainfall. That would indicate that they do not rely merely on the water content of the leaves that make up their diet. It was initially thought that they gained the majority of the water they require from the moisture content in the leaves they feed on and unintentionally ate wet leaves after rainfall.
Chlamydia is a sexually transmitted disease that can cause plenty of unpleasant symptoms among its hosts, human, marsupial, or anything else. So in the past few years, there has been a massive outbreak of chlamydia among Australia’s koala population. In fact, about half of Australia’s koalas are infected with the STD. When koalas contract it, they develop a condition known colloquially as “dirty tail,” in which their urinary tracts become so inflamed that it can be fatal. To make things even more disturbing, they can pass chlamydia on to humans without any direct contact. You have to touch their pee to contract it.
Chlamydia is no joke to koalas. While it is not always fatal, the disease has been shown to impact a koala’s health significantly. It frequently leads to blindness, severe bladder inflammation, and death. Where possible, it might seem like a great idea to treat them with antibiotics. However, antibiotic treatment could create further problems by upsetting their gut microbes and making it extremely difficult to digest the eucalyptus leaves that are a staple in their diet. Although chlamydia has sickened koalas for decades, it has long been unclear why they are so vulnerable
Do you think it’s improbable that you will contract chlamydia from a koala? If so, you might want to think again. If you go walking around through the eucalyptus forests of Australia in search of these nasty little marsupials, they just might pee on you. And in doing so, give you chlamydia. Many people enjoy picking t