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

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

Researchers then applied the newly measured rate to 457 koala genomes.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 17, 2026

Researchers from the University of Sydney and Texas A&M University led the study, which challenges earlier research suggesting that koala numbers collapsed only after humans arrived in Australia.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 17, 2026

Earlier studies had concluded that koala populations declined after modern humans arrived in Australia about 65,000 years ago.

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

The work represents the first direct estimate of a mutation rate for koalas or for any member of the marsupial order Diprotodontia, which also includes wombats, kangaroos and possums.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 17, 2026

By examining how koalas responded to earlier population crashes and recoveries, scientists may be able to develop better conservation strategies for protecting the species today.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 17, 2026

Modern koalas, however, are now confronting a different combination of dangers.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 17, 2026

Temperatures once rare are becoming more common, particularly during summer, Mella said, meaning koalas "are likely to experience heat stress conditions more regularly and over longer periods each year".

From Barron's ● May 26, 2026

But, unlike koalas and monarch butterflies, omnivores not only can eat different foods, we need to eat a variety of foods to stay healthy.

From "The Omnivore's Dilemma" by Michael Pollan