The Bare Facts:

Latin name:

Phascolarctos cinereus
(Greek: phaskolos means pouch; arktos means bear. Latin: cinereus means ash-colored.)
Koalas are marsupials, females having a pouch in which their young first develop. Their pouch faces the rear and has a drawstrikinglike muscle that the mother can tighten. They are the sole member of the family Phascolarctidae.

Subspecies:

There are three subspeies:
P.c. victor (Victoria)
P.c. cinereus (New South Wales)
P.c. adustus (Queensland).

Size:

Size is larger in the southern regions. Head-body length in the south average 30.7 in./78 cm for males and 28 in./72 cm for females.

Weight:

Average 26 lbs/11.8 kg for southern males and 17.4 lbs/7.9 kg for southern females. In the north, males average 14.3 lbs/6.5 kg; females 11.2 lbs/5.1 kg. At birth young weighs only 0.5 gm. (This is no typo; it is amazing how small they are at birth, about the size of a bee.)

Fur:

The fur of the koala in southern region is thick and woolly and is thicker and longer on the back than on the belly. Koalas in northern region have a short coat; this gives them a naked a ppearnace. The color and pattern of the coat varies considerably between individuals and with age.

Coat:

Thickest of the marsupials. Gray to tawny: white on the chin, chest, and forelimbs. Rump consists of tougher connective tissue dappled with white patches. Fluffy ears with longer white hairs. Coat is shorter and lighter in color toward northern regions.

Gestation period:

34-36 days.

Life span:

Their life span today varies considerably due to stress factors, probably averaging 13-18 years.

Principal predator:

Humans

More Facts

Koalas don't live in families, but are solitary animals.
Koalas sleep as long as 18 hours a day and have a low-energy diet of eucalyptus leaves.
Koalas are not "drunk" or otherwise intoxicated by their leaves.
Although koalas obtain most of their water from leaves -- the name koala is thought to mean "no drink" in several native Aborginal tongues -- they do occasionally drink water at the edges of streams.