Koala: Béda antarrépisi

The Koala is broadly similar in appearance to the [[wombat]]s (the closest living relatives), but has a thicker, more luxurious coat, much larger ears, and longer limbs, which are equipped with large, sharp claws to assist with climbing. Weight varies from about 14&nbsp;kg for a large, southern male, to about 5&nbsp;kg for a small northern female. Contrary to popular belief, their fur is coarse, not soft and cuddly. Koalas' five digits are arranged with opposable thumbs, providing better gripping ability. The first two digits are position in apposition on the front paws, and the first three digits for the hind paws. The Koala is one of the few mammals (other than primates) that has [[fingerprint]]s. In fact, koala fingerprints are remarkably similar to human fingerprints; even with an electron microscope, it can be quite difficult to distinguish between the two. <ref>{{cite journal | author = Henneberg, Maciej | coauthors = Lambert, Kosette M., Leigh, Chris M. | title = Fingerprint homoplasy: koalas and humans | url = http://naturalscience.com/ns/articles/01-04/ns_hll.html | journal = naturalSCIENCE.com | year = 1997 | volume = 1 | article = 4}}</ref>

 

 

The Koala has an unusually small [[brain]], with about 40% of the cranial cavity being filled with fluid, while the brain itself is like "a pair of shrivelled [[walnut]] halves on top of the [[brain stem]], in contact neither with each other nor the bones of the [[skull]]. It is the only animal on Earth with such a strangely reduced brain."<ref>{{cite book|author=Flannery, T.F.|title=The Future Eaters: An ecological History of the Australasian Lands and People|publisher=Reed New Holland|location=Sydney|year=1994|page=86}}</ref>