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Koala


Koala
Photo Information
Copyright: Jane Magen (jaycee) Gold Star Critiquer/Silver Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2493 W: 11 N: 6885] (21912)
Genre: Animals
Medium: Color
Date Taken: 2009-03-08
Categories: Mammals
Camera: Canon SX10IS
Exposure: f/4.5, 1/60 seconds
Details: (Fill) Flash: Yes
Photo Version: Original Version
Theme(s): CeltickRanger's favorite wild animal photos 2 [view contributor(s)]
Date Submitted: 2009-04-03 8:16
Viewed: 1525
Points: 40
[Note Guidelines] Photographer's Note
This was taken at the Koala Sanctuary in Sydney. I have no experience with nighttime shots and technically this leaves much to be desired. But he is so cute that I just had to give him a spot on TN.

The koala is a small bear-like, tree-dwelling, herbivorous marsupial which averages about 9kg (20lb) in weight. Its fur is thick and usually ash grey with a tinge of brown in places.

The koala gets its name from an ancient Aboriginal word meaning "no drink" because it receives over 90% of its hydration from the Eucalyptus leaves (also known as gum leaves) it eats, and only drinks when ill or times when there is not enough moisture in the leaves. ie during droughts etc.

The koala is the only mammal, other than the Greater Glider and Ringtail Possum, which can survive on a diet of eucalyptus leaves.

The Koala is well suited to life in the trees. The koala has an excellent sense of balance and its body is lean and muscular and its quite long, strong limbs support its weight when climbing. The arms and legs are nearly equal in length and the koala's climbing strength comes from the thigh muscle joining the shin much lower than in other animals.

Its paws are especially adapted for gripping and climbing with rough pads on the palms and soles helping it to grip tree trunks and branches. Both front and hind paws have long sharp claws and each paw has five digits. On the front paw, two fingers are opposed to the other three, rather like a human's thumb, so they are able to be moved in opposition to the fingers. This allows the koala to grip more securely. On the hind paw, there is no claw on the big toe, and the second and third toes are fused together to form a 'grooming claw'.

Koalas have a thick woolly fur which protects them from both high and low temperatures.It also acts like a 'raincoat' to repel moisture when it rains. The fur varies in colour from light grey to brown, with patches of white on the chest and neck, inside arms and legs and inside the ears. Mature males are recognisable by the brown 'scent gland' in the centre of their white chest.

The fur on the koala's bottom is densely packed to provide a 'cushion' for the hard branches it sits on, and has a 'speckled' appearance which makes koalas hard to spot from the ground.

An adult male koala can weigh between 8 and 14 kilograms and a female between 6 and 11 kilograms, with the heavier animals coming from the southern areas where they have adapted to the colder climate by an increase in body weight and thicker fur. If you see Koalas in Queensland, they look noticably smaller than Koalas from Victoria.

Koalas are mostly nocturnal animals and they are most active during the night and at dawn and dusk. This is because in the cooler hours they are less likely to lose precious moisture and energy than they would during the hotter daylight hours. An average of eighteen to twenty hours each day are spent resting and sleeping, and the remainder for feeding, moving around, grooming and social interaction.

The Koala's nose is one of its most important features, and it has a very highly developed sense of smell. This is necessary to differentiate between types of gum leaves and to detect whether the leaves are poisonous or not.

The Koala's digestive system is especially adapted to detoxify the poisonous chemicals in the leaves. The toxins are thought to be produced by the gum trees as a protection against leaf-eating animals like insects. Trees which grow on less fertile soils seem to have more toxins than those growing on good soils. This could be one reason why koalas will eat only certain types of eucalypts, and why they will sometimes even avoid them when they are growing on certain soils.

http://www.thekoala.com/koala/
nglen, boreocypriensis, CeltickRanger, bahadir, xTauruSx, Luis52, matatur, Alex99, zulfu, Miss_Piggy has marked this note useful
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Critiques [Translate]

  • Great 
  • PeterZ Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2345 W: 92 N: 5348] (17102)
  • [2009-04-03 8:20]

Hello Jane,
A beautiful photo in excellent colours. Great composition and POV.
Have a good weekend,
Peter

Hello Jane,
Beautiful capture of cutie pie "Teddy" enjoying hanging on the woody substance at Koala Sanctuary in Sydney. Great composition, eye contact & POV. TFS
Regards-Subhash

Hi Jane,
A nice capture of this beautiful koala bear. Very well composed with good details. Thanks a lot for sharing.

hello Jane
very nice picture
of the Koala
good details and nice composition
greeting lou

  • Great 
  • lousat Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 1930 W: 6 N: 5388] (19222)
  • [2009-04-03 12:04]

Hi Jane,surely not common on TN! I like a lot he Koala,and i'm happy to see one taken whot your class,excellents details and colors,beautiful POV,the dark background help you to have a big result like that.My best compliments,have a nice weekend,Luciano

  • Great 
  • nglen Gold Star Critiquer/Silver Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2860 W: 34 N: 8481] (31692)
  • [2009-04-03 12:05]

Hi Jane. I was wondering if we might see a Koala from your trip . Well i have to say its very cute i hade a toy one as a child. Not easy to take at night . but you have got good detail in the fur. well done TFS.
Nick..

Have a good weekend. I hope you can move around a bit now.

Hello Jane,
splendid capture of Koala, what a likeable posture of this cute "small bear", superb sharpness and beautiful colours with a perfect use of the flash, very well composed.
TFS
Have a good weekend
Maurizio

Hi Sister Jane, a lovely capture of this cute koala with lovely facial expression. i liked its posture so much.
Have a great WE!
Cheers,
Bayram

hello Jane

this wonderful wild animal is more than cute,
you know Jane that whe i look at a photo
and i laugh it seems that i love that image,
it is the case with this photo, what a lovely photo
of the Koala with his funny way peached to the tree
and his wonderful glance on you, TFS

Asbed

Hello Jane, lovely image of this cute koala. Great details and composition.
TFS and regards,
bahadır

Hello Jane a beautiful animal and its lovely shot.
TFS and regards,
Deniz

Hi Jane,

Thanks for you put my deer picture by your favorites.
What an cute picture from this Koala are this.
Good pov and composition.
Good shot from taken at night.

Gert

  • Great 
  • Luis52 Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 1109 W: 5 N: 3453] (12751)
  • [2009-04-04 14:36]

Hola Prima.
Neven seen a Koala here before, Excellent usual pose, nice catch prima.
Saludos
Luis52.

Well your nighttime shot is a success Jane, your subject looks really cuddly among those dry (and painted ?) branches, it would probably prefer the lush branches of an eucalyptus tree, but still a lovely photo my friend, TFS it indeed!
Cheers,
Mehmet

  • Great 
  • Alex99 Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 3551 W: 143 N: 5621] (18399)
  • [2009-04-04 22:39]

Hi Jane.
I think quality of the nighttime shot is very good. However, pictured scene is simply charming. I am very touched with pose and glance of the cute animal, attractive branch pattern, nice POV and framing of the scene. My kind regards and TFS.
Alexei.

  • Great 
  • zulfu Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 1019 W: 0 N: 162] (858)
  • [2009-04-04 23:57]

Hello Jane, wonderful shot of this pretty Koala with lovely pose and nice composition.
TFS and G's,
Mehmet

Olá, Jane!

This guy is cute :o)
Nice capture here!
Nice colors and framing.
Congratulations and TFS.

Cheers,
Bruno

Ciao Jane, great capture of cute creature in nice pose, lovely composition, very well done, ciao Silvio

Hallo Jane
Time has been one of my worst enemies lately and I missed out on a lot of super images including this one of the Koala. This is a real special image and reminds me of a soft cuddly toy. The details captured of the eyes, snout and fur is lovely to look at. The fur looks soft and one have to remind yourself that it is a photograph you are looking at and not the real McCoy. Just love the wide awake eyes and the way it is clutching onto the branch. Such a sweetie pie. Thanks for sharing.
Best regards.
Anna

Hi Jane.
Looks like teddy...So pretty and innocent look....Very good catch and excellent composition...
TFS..
Best Wishes...
Leyla.

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