A koala is a tree-dwelling Australian marsupial with thick gray fur, big ears, and a large nose, known for eating eucalyptus leaves and sleeping many hours a day.
From Dharug (an Aboriginal Australian language) *gula* or *guula*, referring to this animal. English speakers adapted the spelling to *koala* in the 19th century.
Koalas are often called “koala bears,” but they’re not bears at all—they’re marsupials, like kangaroos. They also have fingerprints that are surprisingly similar to human ones, to the point that they could confuse a crime scene.
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