#Phascolarctidae
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vaginamuseum.bsky.social
Image credits for this thread, and what you were actually looking at:
1. A diagram of koala anatomy. From Fauna of Australia 31: Phascolarctidae. A.K. Lee and F.N. Carrick, 1989
2. A diagram of model marsupial anatomy. From Tuatra, 15(1). R.I. Kean, 1967
April 1, 2026 at 12:52 PM
dahliacraveswine.bsky.social
There is only one species of Koala in the world. It is the only extant member of the family Phascolarctidae, whose closest living relatives are the common wombats. Their wild numbers are estimated to be around 300,000 mature individuals, but showing a declining population trend.
February 22, 2026 at 6:06 PM
vaginamuseum.bsky.social
Image credits and what you actually saw:
1. Actually a diagram of koala anatomy. From Fauna of Australia 31: Phascolarctidae. A.K. Lee and F.N. Carrick, 1989
2. Actually a diagram of model marsupial anatomy. From Tuatra, 15(1). R.I. Kean, 1967
April 1, 2025 at 2:16 PM
audjde.bsky.social
Finding peace within
Requires acceptance of self
Nonconformity

(I've shown this fella before, now he gets his own verse)

#ImageAndVerse #Poem #Poetry #Koala #Peace #Haiku #Nonconformity
A Koala sleeps in the fork of a tree. The Koala is curled in on itself, its fur is grey. Koalas are unique marsupials native to Australia, scientifically known as Phascolarctos cinereus. They are often mistakenly referred to as "koala bears" due to their bear-like appearance, but they are not bears. Koalas are the only surviving members of the family Phascolarctidae, with their closest relatives being wombats. Koalas have a stocky body, large heads, and fluffy ears. They are adapted for life in trees, with strong claws and a specialized digestive system to process eucalyptus leaves, which are toxic to most animals. Koalas are primarily nocturnal and can sleep up to 18 hours a day to conserve energy. They are territorial and communicate through various sounds, especially during the breeding season. Koalas are found in eucalyptus forests along the eastern and southeastern coasts of Australia, including Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, and South Australia.
March 22, 2026 at 2:25 AM
sorryforlaughing.bsky.social
Like the legions of us who’d spent endless sleepless nights fretting over Phascolarctidae STDs, I cheered
September 10, 2026 at 2:03 PM
bridiemac.bsky.social
Cute but slightly weird unique #Australian animal. It is NOT a bear, BTW, not even close. It's an arboreal herbivorous #marsupial native to Australia. It is the only extant representative of the family #Phascolarctidae. Its closest living relative is the #wombat. 4yo me on the R holding a koala.
A koala Me as a 4yo holding a baby koala.
January 21, 2025 at 2:26 AM
vincentsworkisdone.bsky.social
AMERICA GET THIS THROUGH YOUR THICK SKULLS!!!

Koalas are marsupials, not bears, and belong to the family Phascolarctidae. Native to Australia, they are closely related to wombats and kangaroos, carrying their underdeveloped young in a pouch, unlike placental bears.
April 17, 2026 at 12:12 AM
snakemanmark.bsky.social
Koala (Phascolarctos cinereus)
When you see a koala in the wild, generally you see mainly the bum.
NIKON (E950)
#Animals
#Mammals
#Mammalia
#Marsupials
#Marsupialia
#Diprotodontia
#Koalas
#Phascolarctidae
#Koala
#PhascolarctosCinereus
April 17, 2025 at 1:53 AM
charlesbastille.bsky.social
The koala is an arboreal herbivorous marsupial native to Australia. It is the only extant representative of the family Phascolarctidae. Some claim they are as cute as raccoons, but this claim has been hotly disputed by some fans of the "laundry bear."

~ Wikipedia (except for the last part)
koala photo by Erik Veland, CC BY-SA 3.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0>, via Wikimedia Commons
July 16, 2024 at 6:15 PM
twiningtree.bsky.social
Today's Spirit Guide is Koala! 😄

These herbivorous marsupials are the only living mammals of the Phascolarctidae family with their closest relative being the Wombat. Spiritually, they represent trust, rest, sensitivity, empathy, memory, and safety.

🐨
March 26, 2025 at 5:39 PM
paleogalli.bsky.social
Novo fóssil de coala (Marsupialia: Phascolarctidae) do Pleistoceno da Austrália Ocidental royalsocietypublishing.org/rsos/article...
New fossil koala (Marsupialia: Phascolarctidae) from the Pleistocene of Western Australia
Abstract. Koalas are regionally extinct in Western Australia (WA), but their fossils have been known since 1910. Bones were previously reported from severa
royalsocietypublishing.org
May 6, 2026 at 8:45 AM
bioplantologo.bsky.social
/Phascolarctos cinereus/, el koala 🐨

Endémico del este de Australia 🌏

Es la única especie viva de la familia /Phascolarctidae/, siendo sus parientes vivos más cercanos los wombats (familia Vombatidae).

📷: Imagen 1: Bidgee (CC). Imagen 2: Shebalso (CC).
Koala agarrado al tronco de un árbol. Koala agarrado a una rama de un árbol.
January 14, 2025 at 11:39 AM
twiningtree.bsky.social
Today's Spirit Guide is Koala! 😄

These herbivorous marsupials are the only living member of the Phascolarctidae family with their closest relative being the Wombay. Spiritually, it represents rest, trust, sensitivity, memory, empathy, and safety.

✨️
March 14, 2026 at 4:35 PM
twiningtree.bsky.social
Today's Spirit Guide is Koala!😄

These herbivorous marsupials are the only living member of the Phascolarctidae family with their closest relatives being the wombat. Spiritually, they represent empathy, trust, safety, sensitivity, and memory.

🐨
June 8, 2025 at 4:32 PM
twiningtree.bsky.social
Today's Spirit Guide is Koala! 😄

These herbivorous marsupials are the only living members of the Phascolarctidae family with their closest living relative being the wombat. Spiritually, they represent rest, empathy, trust, sensitivity, memory, and safety.

🐨
November 16, 2025 at 4:54 PM
royalsocietypublishing.org
#RSOS in @the-independent.com | New fossil koala (Marsupialia: Phascolarctidae) from the Pleistocene of Western Australia: doi.org/10.1098/rsos...
The new fossil species that was hiding in plain sight for 100 years
Four species of koalas are now known to have lived in Australia over the last few million years
www.independent.co.uk
May 16, 2026 at 10:01 AM
drhoz.bsky.social
drhoz.tumblr.com/post/7754260... Otago Museum, Dunedin, Phascolarctos, Phascolarctidae, koala, marsupial, koala bear, bad taxidermy, Dunedin NZ.
#2794 - Phascolarctos cinereus - Koala
Another exercise in disturbing taxidermy from the Victorian-style animal exhibit at the Otago Museum - what the hell did they do to his ears? and his nose? They don't even seem to have got the famous....
drhoz.tumblr.com
February 15, 2025 at 9:07 AM
twiningtree.bsky.social
Today's Spirit Guide is Koala! 😄

These herbivorous marsupials are the only living member of the Phascolarctidae family with their closest living relative being the Wombat. Spiritually, it represents trust, rest, sensitivity, empathy, and safety.

🐨
September 11, 2026 at 4:26 PM
conservbytes.bsky.social
Love a good Thylacoleo, but it wasn’t a ‘lion' (never any cats in Aus). It was in fact a vombatiform predator in the same suborder as wombats (Vombatidae), koalas (Phascolarctidae) & diprotodons (Diprotodontidae). It was not closely related to thylacines or devils (Dasyuromorphs) https://t.c...
November 20, 2024 at 12:14 AM
weaselbonez.bsky.social
Mammal of the Day 187: Koala (Phascolarctos cinereus)
Family: Phascolarctidae
Order: Diprotodontia
Infraclass: Marsupial
Conservation Status: Vulnerable
a somewhat smallish, stout animal, often inaccurately referred to as a “koala bear” due to their large round ears, lack of tails, and arboreal lifestyles. however, as marsupials, koalas are far from closely related to bears; their closest living relatives are the wombats. the koala is the only living member of the family phascolarctidae. it has a large, round head, large furry ears, no tail, short mouth, large, oblong nose, and forepaws with separated second and third fingers, appearing as if there are two thumbs. the pupils are vertically slit. it has short, thick grey to brown fur, with a white underside and back end, as well as white on the chin and around the eyes. koalas live highly arboreal, sedentary, and solitary lifestyles. they feed almost exclusively on eucalyptus leaves, a diet high in toxins and low in nutrients, causing many adaptations for energy conservation. koalas sleep up to 20 hours a day; when they are awake, they spend practically all of their time feeding. they may store food in cheek pouches to be consumed later. they are notorious for being perhaps the “least intelligent” of living mammals, having a very small brain that is surrounded by fluid, the fluid possibly protecting the head if the animal happens to fall. the small, relatively smooth brain is probably a result of the low-nutrient diet, unable to support a larger, more active brain or lifestyle. koalas may not register leaves as food unless they are still growing on a branch. the food is fermented in the hind-gut and may be regurgitated and chewed again to maximize digestion and nutrient extraction. like most other marsupials, females birth undeveloped young that continue their development inside her pouch until they are too large to fit. the pouch is front-facing. infant koalas are coprophagous and must eat the mother’s feces to obtain necessary bacteria for digestion.
July 25, 2025 at 11:42 PM
patodeborracha.bsky.social
Fora que existem outras centenas de exemplos de mamíferos que não tem nenhum outro 'parente' vivo, tipo o aadvark, único representante vivo da ordem Tubulidentata, e o coala, único representante vivo da família Phascolarctidae.

Racismo científico aqui não se cria não.
April 16, 2025 at 9:59 PM
pattedplants.bsky.social
Here's a relevant article from Australian Zoologist connect with this story:

connectsci.au/az/article/3...
Modelling the potential range of the koala at the Last Glacial Maximum: future conservation implications
The koala Phascolarctos cinereus is the only member of the once diverse marsupial family Phascolarctidae to have survived the Last Glacial Maximum. A clima
connectsci.au
June 10, 2026 at 6:05 AM
royalsocietypublishing.org
#RSOS in @newscientist.com | New fossil koala (Marsupialia: Phascolarctidae) from the Pleistocene of Western Australia: doi.org/10.1098/rsos...
Extinct relative of koalas discovered in Western Australia
Fossils reveal that there were at least two kinds of koala when humans first arrived in Australia, but one died out about 30,000 years ago when the west of the continent dried out
www.newscientist.com
May 11, 2026 at 2:01 PM