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What the sources say

KoalaPhascolarctos cinereus

Every figure, record and mechanism on the Koala profile was written from a source, and this is the working table behind it: 60 claims checked word for word against these sources. The left column is what the page says. The right column is the source's own words, copied, not paraphrased; a ... marks a cut and[brackets] an insertion. Open any source and check it yourself.

Profile updated

Source
01

Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan

Phascolarctos cinereus (koala). Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan.

The page sayshas built its lifestyle around a bad diet
The source saysBecause of their low quality diet, koalas conserve energy by their behavior.
The page saysAverage weights run from 5.1 kilograms for northern females to 11.8 kilograms for southern males
The source saysAverage weights are: in the south, males--11.8 kg, females--7.9 kg; in the north, males--6.5 kg, females 5.1 kgNote: ADW's 'Range mass 5.1 to 11.8 kg' is the span of these population averages, not a range for individual adults, so the page now says averages.
The page saysmales running up to 50% heavier than females
The source saysMales are up to 50% heavier than females
The page saysIn the south of their range, where koalas are generally larger, males average 78 centimeters in head-body length to females' 72
The source saysKoalas from the southern end of the range are generally larger in size than their northern counterparts. ... In the south, males have an average head-body length of 78 cm and females 72 cm
The page saysan adult can eat 500 grams of leaves a day
The source saysAn adult koala can eat 500g daily.
The page saysThe trick is a supersized gut
The source saysthe koala's caecum is up to four times its body size
The page saysthe bacteria inside it
The source saysthe animals get around this by having a flora of bacteria in their stomachs that metabolize the toxins of the leaves
The page saysA koala's caecum is huge
The source saysthe koala's caecum is up to four times its body sizeNote: The figure is cut: an organ four times the size of the body it sits in is impossible as written, ADW gives no unit (it probably means body length), and no cached source gives a caecum length. The quote backs 'huge' on any reading.
The page saysKoalas live in eucalyptus forests below 600 meters in elevation
The source saysThe koala is confined to eucalyptus forests below 600 m.
The page saysspread from northern Queensland to southwestern Victoria in eastern Australia
The source saysThe koalas live in eastern Australia and range from northern Queensland to southwestern Victoria.Note: backs both the body sentence and stats.habitat, which ends with the same clause.
The page saysKoalas cool off by licking their arms and stretching out while they rest
The source saysThe koala cools itself by licking its arms and stretching out as it rests in the treesNote: ADW's '(koalas have no sweat glands)' is cut: an absolute resting only on a 1999 page, and no current source in the cache states it.
The page saysKoalas were hunted hard for their fur
The source saysIn the early 20th century the koala was hunted extensively for its warm, thick coat.
The page saysPublic outcry won them legal protection after 1927
The source saysAfter1927 as a result of public outcry the koala became legally protected.Note: 'After1927' is copied exactly as the ADW page prints it (missing space).
The page saysEucalyptus forests below 600 meters
The source saysThe koala is confined to eucalyptus forests below 600 m.
The page saysan adult can eat 500 grams a day
The source saysAn adult koala can eat 500g daily.
The page saysA huge caecum
The source saysthe koala's caecum is up to four times its body sizeNote: figure cut, as in the body: see the 'A koala's caecum is huge' claim.
The page saysgut bacteria that break down the eucalyptus toxins
The source saysthe animals get around this by having a flora of bacteria in their stomachs that metabolize the toxins of the leaves
The page saysleans on gut bacteria
The source saysthe animals get around this by having a flora of bacteria in their stomachs that metabolize the toxins of the leaves

Source
02

San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance

Koala. San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance.

The page saysEucalyptus leaves are tough and low in calories
The source saysKoalas grind the tough eucalypt leaves with their cheek teeth. They don't get many calories from their diet
The page saysso koalas save energy by moving only occasionally
The source saysThey don't get many calories from their diet, but they conserve energy by moving occasionallyNote: the 'so' is ADW's causal link too: 'Because of their low quality diet, koalas conserve energy by their behavior.'
The page sayssleeping 18 to 22 hours a day
The source sayskoalas sleep 18 to 22 hours a dayNote: ADW says 'sleep up to 18 hours a day' and SDZWA's diet section says 'as much as 20 hours'; the page follows SDZWA's own figure, 18 to 22.
The page saysKoalas usually live 10 to 15 years
The source saysLIFE SPAN Usually 10 to 15 yearsNote: Replaces ADW's 1999 'may live past 10 years in the wild ... over 20 years in captivity': a duration needs a current source (docs/fact-check.md, 'Check the date').
The page saysthat most herbivores can't tolerate
The source saysMost herbivores can't tolerate eucalypts because of these compounds
The page sayskoalas prefer about three dozen of the more than 600 kinds of eucalypt
The source saysthere are more than 600 different kinds of eucalypt trees ... Koalas prefer the leaves of about three dozen varieties.Note: ADW gives older, different figures ('eat only 20 of the 350 species of eucalyptus and prefer only 5 species'); the page follows SDZWA.
The page saysTwo opposable thumbs on each hand and sharp claws give them their grip
The source saysTheir hands have two opposing thumbs to increase their grip (we only have one), and sharp claws to dig into bark.
The page saysstrong arm and shoulder muscles help them climb up to 46 meters to the top of a tree
The source saysStrong arm and shoulder muscles help a koala climb 150 feet (46 meters) to the top of a tree
The page sayseight million were killed between 1919 and 1924 alone
The source saysfrom 1919 to 1924, eight million koalas were killed
The page saysdog attacks
The source saysToday, the koala is threatened by predation from domestic dogs
The page sayscars that hit some of them
The source sayssome koalas get run over by cars
The page saysdisappearing habitat
The source saysthe loss of their habitat
The page sayspreferring about three dozen of the more than 600 kinds of eucalypt
The source saysthere are more than 600 different kinds of eucalypt trees ... Koalas prefer the leaves of about three dozen varieties.
The page sayseucalyptus toxins most herbivores can't tolerate
The source saysMost herbivores can't tolerate eucalypts because of these compounds
The page sayssleeps up to 22 hours a day
The source sayskoalas sleep 18 to 22 hours a day
The page sayseucalyptus leaves most herbivores can't tolerate
The source saysMost herbivores can't tolerate eucalypts because of these compounds
The page saysEucalyptus leaves don't give koalas many calories
The source saysThey don't get many calories from their diet
The page saysso they save energy by moving only occasionally
The source saysThey don't get many calories from their diet, but they conserve energy by moving occasionally
The page saysKoalas sleep 18 to 22 hours a day
The source sayskoalas sleep 18 to 22 hours a day
The page saysabout the size of a large jelly bean
The source saysit is only about the size of a large jelly bean
The page saysweighs 0.4 to 1 gram
The source saysWeight at birth: .015 to .035 ounces (.4 to 1 gram)Note: SDZWA prints '.4', which is 0.4. FAQ 3 cites SDZWA, which gives 0.4 to 1 gram; the old 'less than 0.5 grams' was ADW's figure, not the FAQ's ref.
The page saysIt's born blind and deaf
The source saysa newborn joey can't even see or hear
The page saysuse its strong forelimbs and hands to crawl from the birth canal into its mother's pouch
The source saysit uses strong forelimbs and hands to crawl from the birth canal into its mother's pouch
The page saysit attaches to a nipple and grows for the next six months
The source saysThe joey attaches to one of two nipples in this warm, safe place where it drinks milk and grows during the next six months.
The page saysOnce it's too big for the pouch, it rides on her back
The source saysAfter it grows too large for the pouch, the joey climbs onto its mother's back and holds on with strong hands and feet.

Source
03

Woinarski & Burbidge 2020

Woinarski & Burbidge (2020). Phascolarctos cinereus. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2020: e.T16892A166496779.

The page saysThe IUCN now lists the species as Vulnerable
The source saysVulnerable (VU)Note: Cites the Red List's amended 2020 version of the 2014 assessment, which the Red List now shows, in place of the 2016 printing.
The page saysVulnerable
The source saysVulnerable (VU)

Source
04

Charlton et al. 2013

Charlton et al. (2013). Koalas use a novel vocal organ to produce unusually low-pitched mating calls. Current Biology.

The page saysthe register of a male koala's mating bellow
The source saysDuring the breeding season, male koalas produce 'bellow' vocalisations that are characterised by a continuous series of inhalation and exhalation sections, and an extremely low fundamental frequencyNote: vibe.reason. San Diego Zoo's 'Endangered' banner is Australia's national listing; the Red List category is Vulnerable.
The page saysa novel vocal organ drops each inhalation to an average 27.1 Hz, 20 times lower than expected for an 8 kg animal
The source saysthe fundamental frequency (F0) of bellow inhalation sections averages 27.1 Hz (range: 9.8-61.5 Hz [1]), which is 20 times lower than would be expected for an animal weighing 8 kg [2] ... koalas use a novel vocal organ to produce their unusually low-pitched mating callsNote: vibe.reason. Abstract only on disk; every figure is in the abstract.

Source
05

Dahlhausen et al. 2020

Dahlhausen et al. (2020). Isolation and sequence-based characterization of a koala symbiont: Lonepinella koalarum. PeerJ.

The page saysEucalyptus leaves carry chemical defenses, including tannins, phenolic compounds and terpenes
The source saysAll Eucalyptus species contain chemical defenses against herbivory that include tannins, B-ring flavanones, phenolic compounds, terpenes, formylated phloroglucinols, cyanogenic glucosides and other plant secondary metabolites
The page saysKoalas manage on almost nothing else
The source saysfeed almost exclusively on the foliage of select Eucalyptus species
The page saysone of the bacteria living in the mucus around it is Lonepinella koalarum
The source saysOne of these cultured isolates is a bacterium known as Lonepinella koalarum ... It had been first isolated from the mucus around the caecum in koalas
The page saysA Tannin-Busting Bacterium
The source sayswas shown to degrade tannin-protein complexes that can be found in Eucalyptus leavesNote: The blockquote's lead-in, which replaced 'Eats Poison for a Living': the paper found no direct evidence for tannase genes in its strain.
The page saysLonepinella koalarum was first isolated from the mucus around a koala's caecum, and it has been shown to break down the tannin-protein complexes in eucalyptus leaves
The source saysIt had been first isolated from the mucus around the caecum in koalas and was shown to degrade tannin-protein complexes that can be found in Eucalyptus leaves
The page sayscomplexes that koalas cannot digest
The source sayscannot be digested by koalas or utilized by microbesNote: backs both the body blockquote and FAQ 1's closing sentence; source: 'Tannins bind proteins followed by the formation of a precipitate, which cannot be digested by koalas or utilized by microbes.'
The page sayschlamydia, a common infection
The source sayshigh prevalence of Chlamydia infections
The page saysAlmost exclusively eucalyptus leaves
The source saysfeed almost exclusively on the foliage of select Eucalyptus species
The page saysEvery eucalyptus species contains chemical defenses against plant-eaters, including tannins, phenolic compounds and terpenes
The source saysAll Eucalyptus species contain chemical defenses against herbivory that include tannins, B-ring flavanones, phenolic compounds, terpenes, formylated phloroglucinols, cyanogenic glucosides and other plant secondary metabolites
The page saysKoalas carry gut bacteria that have been studied for breaking those defenses down
The source saysseveral bacterial isolates associated with the intestinal microbial communities of koalas have been characterized in the context of degradation of PCDs found in Eucalyptus leavesNote: PCDs are the paper's plant chemical defenses, the compounds named in the previous sentence.
The page saysLonepinella koalarum, first isolated from the mucus around a koala's caecum
The source saysIt had been first isolated from the mucus around the caecum in koalas
The page sayshas been shown to break down the tannin-protein complexes in eucalyptus leaves
The source sayswas shown to degrade tannin-protein complexes that can be found in Eucalyptus leaves

Source
06

Waugh et al. 2017

Waugh et al. (2017). Infection with koala retrovirus subgroup B (KoRV-B), but not KoRV-A, is associated with chlamydial disease in free-ranging koalas (Phascolarctos cinereus). Scientific Reports.

The page sayswhose primary culprit, Chlamydia pecorum, causes eye infections, reproductive disease and even death
The source saysKoalas are infected with two species of Chlamydia , C. pecorum and C. pneumoniae ... with C. pecorum being the primary pathogen, causing keratoconjunctivitis, reproductive disease, and even deathNote: keratoconjunctivitis is inflammation of the cornea and conjunctiva, here caused by the infection: 'eye infections' for a teen reader.

How the table was made: a writer drafted the profile from these sources and logged each claim with its quote, a reviewer with nothing but this table checked every sentence said no more than its quote, and a script confirmed each quote appears word for word in the source. The method is in the site'sAbout page.