"They say that the eye's are the windows to the soul, but really they lead straight to the brain, and the brain of the koala tells a story of evolutionary woe that you just wouldn't believe." Professor Tim Flannery

Like its closest relative the Wombat, the Koala has a rounded body, powerful but stumpy legs and a backwards facing pouch that it uses to raise its young which are born blind, naked, earless and less than 2cm long. But whereas the Wombat has taken to life underground which requires endless work to keep his tunnels maintained and mark out his territory, the Koala has taken to the trees.

As he feeds solely on eucalypt leaves and drinks the condensation that collects upon them, the Koala never needs to venture to the ground. The leaves contain strong smelling oils that act as a bug repellent, keeping the animal free from parasites. They also make the Koala smell like very strong cough lollies.

With little need to move about, Koalas spend about 80 per cent of the day sleeping, 10 per cent of the day eating and the remaining 10 per cent of the day just sitting. As such activities don't require a great deal of intelligence, the Koala has decided that a brain is an extravagance. Although Koalas have big heads, 40 per cent of the space inside is just fluid. The Koala is the only mammal on earth whose brain doesn't fit its skull.

Upon a particularly toxic species of eucalypt has evolved a highly aggressive and territorial sub-species of Koala known as the Dropbear. They aren't particularly dangerous, but will drop from the branches onto the shoulders of bushwalkers below, and proceed to claw and bite. There has been the occasional fatality caused by a jugular being punctured but usually the victim suffers nothing more than a nasty shock and a couple of scratches. More people are hospitalised each year from bee stings.

Of course, Dropbears aren't real, the story was was just made up to fool Americans. Or was it? Australians have a black sense of humour and enjoying laughing at another's misfortune. As American visitor numbers to Australia have increased, so has awareness of the Dropbear legend making Americans reluctant to venture into the bush. It may well be that portraying the Dropbear as a myth is a cunning ploy to lull Americans into a false sense of security. Fooled into thinking Dropbears aren't real, an Australian can lead an American into a known Dropbear region.

The Australian Parks and Wildlife Service has also been accused of downplaying the risk so as not to damage the tourism industry. A spokeswoman, who declined to be named, admitted:

"Its always a balancing act between commercial considerations and the the duty of care owed to the public. Whatever we do, there will always be one side unhappy."

Dropbears - Terror in the Australian bush!

Dropbears - answers.com

Industry

1) Meat - Because Koalas spend so much of their day relaxing, their meat is very tender and delicious! So much so, McDonalds has developed a Koala burger for the Australian market known as the "Big K". Like most McDonald burgers, the actual percentage of meat is questionable. Even so, it is a favoured lunch time snack in Australia. (Of course it should be pointed out, that "McDonalds has a burger called the Big K" and "the author of this article is a compulsive liar" are quite interchangeable.)

2) Zoos - Dropbears aside, the Koala has the appeal the Wombat lacks so is always a crowd puller for zoos. As a tree dweller, he is accustomed to being in the spotlight and thus doesn't feel the need to run and hide like his close relative.

 More importantly, because his body is designed to embrace tree trunks, he looks very cuddly. Such traits have led to the creation of Koala parks catering for Japanese tourists who love being photographed holding him. Kawaii!

3) Fur- There used to be a very profitable trade in Koala fur. In 1924, more than 2 million skins were exported. However the trade came to an end as appreciation for the Koala increased. Even though Koalas need to be culled in some areas, trade in Koala products is unlikely to ever resume.

• Australian $200 Gold - 1980, 1983, 1984, 1985 & 1986.
• Australian Bullion Platinum Coins
• Bullion Silver 1oz Koala Medallions since 1997.

Conservation links