Australia:Koala Bear
Australian Koala Bear
The Koala Bear of Australia(which is actually a marsupial) probably evolved over 25 million years ago.An ancestor of the wombat,the extinct Koala bears were much larger than the ones today. Many of the ancient aboriginal legends have many references to the Koala bear. The word Koala is thought to come from an Aboriginal word meaning "drink" because they obtain most of the moisture they consume from gum leaves. The aboriginals treated them with respect because legend states that the tiny bears have control over the rains and so to be disrespectful would bring on a drought..Being that it doesn't rain for several years at a time in parts of Australia, that's the last thing Australia needs is a drought. The Koala bear has faced extinction many times because both the aborigine and the white man used them for food and clothing. They are now a protected species and at times there is a problem with over population.
Gary is a travel writer and photographer living in Sarasota,Florida. He has a website featuring more photos and articles and also markets products featuring some of his travel photos.
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