These furry, cuddly creatures are positively adorable to look at, but many of us don’t know much else about them.
If you’ve found yourself wanting to find out more about these cute creatures, including whether or not they’re intelligent, keep reading, because we’ve got the answers below.
How Intelligent Are Koala Bears?
Koala bears are actually known as one the least intelligent creatures in Australia. Despite their adorable appearance, they don’t have the same intellectual capacities as other animals.
According to scientists, they are ranked as low on the intelligence scale, being placed alongside other slow moving animals such as the sloth.
One of the main reasons that koala bears are considered not to be smart is because of the size of their brain.
As well as this, their brains actually appear different to those possessed by other animals. Koala brains don’t actually have any curves or ridges, and appear completely smooth to look at.
Smooth brains mean that they have lower levels of recognition than other animals, making it difficult for them to process things at a quick pace.
The way in which their brain fails to process basic things is explained by their behavior. For example, if it begins to rain, a koala bear, instead of seeking shelter, will proceed to lie in the shower.
As well as this, in incidents where bushfires have taken place, koala bears will stay in the tree right up until the time where the fire reaches them before taking action.
This is also the case for outside predators, as koala bears will stay in their place until the moment of attack.
Finally, koala bears are unable to recognize food if it’s presented to them in a different format.
For example, koala bears are known to feed on eucalyptus leaves from the trees, but if you were to pluck out a few leaves from the tree and try to feed it to them, they wouldn’t recognize it as food.
Why Aren’t Koala Bears Smart?
There has been a lot of research and debate surrounding the question of why koala bears aren’t as smart as other animals, and much of it is to do with their lifestyle.
Koala bears require up to 20 hours of sleep per day, which means that they’ll spend the majority of their time sleeping. The rest of the time they’ll spend feeding on the eucalyptus leaves on their trees.
Koala bears reside very high up in their trees, which means that they’re safe from most predators, and don’t often come under attack.
This means that their brains haven’t developed to grant them the intelligence to recognize danger and potential threats like other mammals who have had to fight to survive.
Koalas can live an incredibly long, stress free life, free from any harm, and therefore don’t require the same intellectual capabilities as other mammals.
Some Interesting Facts About Koala Bears
Although they’re not the most intelligent animals on the planet, that doesn’t mean that koala bears aren’t full of interesting facts. To learn more about these adorable animals, keep reading below.
They’re Not Technically Bears
Many of you might be surprised to learn that koala bears aren’t actually considered to be bears according to science.
Although they have a cuddly, teddy bear-like appearance, they’re actually more closely related to wombats in terms of genetics.
That’s right, these creatures actually belong to the same family as kangaroos, and wombats, which they actually appear to differ from in terms of appearance.
They Have A Huge Diet
Koala bears can eat a surprising amount of food, and as well as this, they’re incredibly picky eaters. That’s right, koala bears survive exclusively on eucalyptus leaves and nothing else.
Their fondness for eucalyptus leaves is immense, and they can eat up to two pounds of these a day. Their choice of eucalyptus leaf depends on the variety, and they’ll only eat 50 of the 800 species of eucalyptus leaf.
They’ll also only choose the leaves that are at the very top of the tree, which are far more moist and juicy than those growing lower down.
They love eucalyptus leaves so much that they actually begin to smell like them. The males have the strongest odor of eucalyptus, whereas the females are far milder.
They Live A Long Life
Koala bears can actually live for up to a whole decade, specifically between 9 and 12 years old. They live a life which is worry free and removed from predators, so they undergo very little threat throughout their lives.
Females actually exceed this lifespan by a significant amount, with some living up to 18 years old.
They will leave their mothers once they’re 12 months old, and then begin to reproduce themselves once they’ve reached the age of 3.
One of the biggest threats to koala bears is chlamydia, which is often thought to be a sexually transmitted disease exclusive to humans.
Many populations of koala bears will actually acquire this disease, and it can be deadly.
They normally acquire chlamydia after periods of intense stress, and it can cause urinary tract infections, and in some cases, blindness.
Final Thoughts
Koala bears are incredibly fascinating creatures, and can be fun to learn about despite the fact that they’re not intelligent.
Koala bears have some of the smallest brains found in the whole of the animal kingdom, and this affects some of their behaviors.
Koalas do not have the same capabilities as other mammals for protecting themselves against potential predators and dangerous situations such as bush fires as a result of their brain capacities.
Hi, I’m Olivia Kepner and I am a zookeeper here in San Diego. Since I was a young girl I have always been fascinated by animals and species across the globe.
I used to beg my parents to take me to our local zoo every single weekend. Well, I say local – it was more like a two hour drive away. But they took me as much as they could, allowing me to fall in love with the animals again and again.
