koala

American  

[koh-ah-luh] / koʊˈɑ lə /

noun

• koalas
  plural

1. a sluggish, tailless, gray, furry, arboreal marsupial, Phascolarctos cinereus, of Australia.

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koala British  

/ kəʊˈɑːlə /

noun

1. Also called (Austral): native bear. a slow-moving Australian arboreal marsupial, Phascolarctus cinereus, having dense greyish fur and feeding on eucalyptus leaves and bark

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• koalas
  plural

Etymology

Origin of koala

1800–10; erroneous spelling for earlier koola ( h ) (now obsolete) < Dharuk gú-la

Explanation

A koala is a small Australian animal that lives primarily in trees and is often mistaken for a bear. Koalas, not bears at all, are actually related to kangaroos. Koalas, like their kangaroo cousins, are marsupials, animals that carry their young in pouches. They do resemble bears, with their round bodies and ears, thick gray fur, stubby tails, and bear-like behavior. The name koala comes from the Australian Aboriginal language Dharug, in which this animal is called a gula. Koalas are famous for eating eucalyptus leaves and being generally adorable.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

koala koalas

"We know how critical it is to have a highly skilled koala detection dog back in the field, helping protect one of Australia's most iconic species," Sharrad said.

From Barron's ● Sep. 30, 2026

Bear surrendered his collar in March after a decade of being a very good boy as one of the first dogs in the country to be trained to detect the scent of koala fur.

From Barron's ● Sep. 30, 2026

Ewan joined him for the last stint in Yeovil and said she cannot wait to see koala bears in real life.

From BBC ● Aug. 8, 2026

A major genomic analysis is changing scientists' understanding of koala evolution.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 17, 2026

I put it on your bed, next to Cuddly the koala.

From "P.S. I Miss You" by Jen Petro-Roy

After trawling through dozens of applications, the hunt is over: an Australian animal welfare group has found a successor to a hero hound credited with saving more than 100 koalas from fires.

From Barron's ● Sep. 30, 2026

Fossil evidence is too limited to show precisely how many koalas lived in Australia 100,000 years ago, Mr. Kovacs said.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 17, 2026

The study estimates that the koala population in South Australia's Mount Lofty Ranges now accounts for about 10% of all koalas in Australia.

From Science Daily ● Jun. 8, 2026

On hotter days, koalas regulate body temperature by hugging trees to dissipate heat or seeking out denser foliage and lower trees away from direct sunlight.

From Barron's ● May 26, 2026

Every night, we’d pop one of them into the DVD player and I’d fall asleep to the sound of some guy with an English accent talking about meerkats or koalas or jellyfish.

From "Auggie & Me" by R. J. Palacio