Phascolarctos cinereus

The koala has a small, compact body (28-32 in.), a vestigial tail and large ears. Males, at about 26 lbs., are larger than the 17 lb. females. Males have a scent gland on the chest and females have a rear-facing pouch.

The koala is adapted to its almost exclusively arboreal life. The large paws have long claws for grasping tree limbs. The dense wooly fur, gray above and white below, makes the koala extremely difficult to see. Their hands have two opposable thumbs and three fingers.